The Dragon Slayer Prophecy
by NinNinKakizaki2015
Summary: One journey will bring two people closer together in unimaginable ways. Natsu x Wendy.
1. The Adventure Begins

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or any of its characters.**

**The Dragon Slayer Prophecy**

**Chapter 1: The Adventure Begins**

_Long ago in the magical kingdom of Fiore, the dragons were the absolute rulers over everything and everyone, including the humans. Being the kingdom's largest available source of magical energy, their power and authority was not to be challenged._

_Their main responsibility was to keep law and order within the kingdom. However, many people knew that it wasn't always the case. The dragons often abused their power, treating the humans as mere pawns in their never-ending conquest for complete domination. _

_However, there was one faction of dragons who were against this kind of rule, seeking to preserve the balance of life between the humans and dragons. Thus, they experimented with a rare form of dark magic, and the first ever dragon slayer was born._

_This human, with the powers of a dragon bestowed upon him, fought against the oppression of the rule of the dragons, and all seemed to go well for every living being._

_Until the day the dragon slayer turned against his creators._

_His mind had succumbed to the darkness, driving him to the brink of madness as he killed every living being in sight, whether they were human or dragon. To make matters worse, the dragon slayer had underwent drastic physical changes, turning into a dragon himself and becoming what is known today as the dark dragon._

_In hopes of rectifying this mistake, a prophecy was formulated; one that would require a new generation of dragon slayers in order to achieve. Thus, several dragons raised human children of their own, teaching them the arts of dragon slayer magic in hopes that one day in the future, they shall be the ones to bring down the terror that is in the form of the dark dragon._

_Even to this day, there was none who knew of how the prophecy came to be; of its origins or who had drafted it._

_And this is where our story begins..._

"Man, what a day! I've never been so fired up before!"

A group of 5 people, along with 2 flying cats, were walking along the busy streets of Magnolia. They were mages of Fairy Tail, the most well-known magical guild in the kingdom. Having come back from a week-long mission, they were exhausted beyond comprehension. Well, at least some of us were anyway.

"Wow Natsu-san, you sure are full of energy…" I replied as I dragged my dead legs along the road.

"Yeah, no kidding, considering that you completely trashed the place!" complained Lucy. "Man, sometimes I wonder if I'll ever get my rent paid off…"

"Well, it's not like you didn't have anything to do with it," added Gray. "You practically went all out after hearing what the reward was gonna be."

"Hey! I couldn't help it! In case any of you noticed, I'm running short on jewels, and I'm pretty sure the landlady will kick me out if I don't pay up by the end of the month!"

"In that case, I shall look up another job for us to do this coming week," Erza suggested.

"NO. THANK. YOU."

I couldn't help but giggle a little, watching my friends bicker over matters like this. Despite being so different in ideals, we always end up being friends in the end. I mean, that's what it meant to be a Fairy Tail mage, right?

My name is Wendy Marvell.

I have been with Fairy Tail for 5 years, and I have never regretted it since. Since joining the guild, I've always taken up jobs with the same group of people: Natsu, Lucy, Gray, Erza, Happy, and Carla. Together, we were known informally as Fairy Tail's strongest team; yet I'm aware that there are even stronger mages within our guild.

Being around the same people all the time helped me strengthen bonds between them. Lucy and Erza were like big sisters to me. Gray was like a brother I never had. Happy, well, he could be considered a brother as well, despite being an Exceed. And there was Carla, who had been with me for the longest, and whom I've grown to care about the most. There was no denying that she was the closest friend I've got.

Natsu, on the other hand, was a completely different story.

I didn't know what came over me when I heard rumours of another dragon slayer in the kingdom. Back then, Carla and I were members of another guild, Cait Shelter, in which we later found out was an illusion of sorts. I'll get around to that story another time.

Anyways, having that knowledge, I really wanted to meet this other dragon slayer, and by fate of sorts, I got my chance.

I had no idea what attracted me to him in the first place. Natsu wasn't what most people would consider their "Prince Charming" or their "Knight in Shining Armour". In fact, he was everything but that! Natsu was impulsive, reckless, and a really violent man to boot. He probably had the worst manners ever, and sometimes can't even take a clue as to what was going on around him.

However, if one were to know Natsu for long enough, they would be able to see the many positive aspects of his personality, as I've come to have known. He was extremely loyal to his friends, and at times, would put their goals ahead of his own. When you get to know Natsu for that long, you'll find that he's really friendly and approachable, unlike how many citizens of the kingdom rumour him to be.

Getting to the point, I've fallen in love with him since the beginning. At the time though, I knew it was wrong to think that way, being only 12 years old and all. Carla, who had always been living with me, knew about my secret crush, and of course she initially disapproved of it.

"You're only a child, see? And besides, I'm pretty sure he has other things on his mind right now."

That's right. How could I ever compare? There were other people who had been around Natsu longer than I have. With that in mind, I had almost given up. There was no way I could win him over, especially at that time.

However, throughout my 5 years at Fairy Tail, Natsu had not made any moves towards anyone. With me being 17 years old now, I came to realize that Natsu Dragneel was still single. Maybe I did have a chance after all! Maybe I could set aside my doubts about others being around Natsu and getting too close to him. Just maybe…

"Hey Wendy! You okay there? You seem to be spacing out."

"Eh?" I had only just realized that Natsu's face was just inches away from mine. Also, we had already made it back to the guild. Startled, I let out a small scream before falling back and landing on the floor.

"NATSU!"

Erza suddenly came storming over, with a dark and menacing aura surrounding her. "WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?"

Huh? The meaning of what exactly? Natsu had only scared me a little just now; it wasn't anything to get riled up over.

"Um, Erza-san, Natsu-san didn't mean any of it, he just…"

And that was when I realized that Erza and I were at different thought levels.

"MY CAKES! I HAD WARNED YOU NOT TO TOUCH THEM!"

Sure enough, down the end of the guild hall, there was a pile of what used to be a neat arrangement of assorted cakes. Even more evident was the fact that the outline of a body was imprinted where the cakes once stood.

At first, Natsu didn't realize what was going on, until he noticed that he was covered in traces of icing and baked goods.

"Heh heh, Erza…" Natsu was slowly backing away as Erza drew one of her swords.

"Erza? Is this really necessary?" stuttered a cowering Lucy, who just happened to be nearby.

"It was all Gray's fault!" Natsu quickly stammered in his defence. "That ice prick picked a fight with me and…"

"GRAY!"

"What the hell did I do?" Gray shot back. "It was flame princess here who started it!"

"NATSU!"

But Natsu had already started running off in the opposite direction. Fuming, Erza began to give chase, and pretty soon, the whole guild was watching Erza running after both Natsu and Gray, as they literally tore up every single thing in sight in their little affair.

"Oh, come on! I had nothing to do with this!" Gray complained as he tore off after Natsu, with Erza closing in behind him.

I was laughing alongside my fellow guild members as this all happened. Truly, there was never a dull moment while being in Fairy Tail.

However, that moment I had with Natsu a little while ago had been a little too close for comfort. I felt like as I got older, I had started feeling slightly uncomfortable around him, not like how I used to be when I was younger. Maybe I was becoming more self-conscious of the fact that I was a girl. Whatever it was, that feeling never really faded away the more and more I interacted with him.

"My, my, someone's certainly in love today!"

"Mira-san!"

Fairy Tail's resident barmaid had appeared right beside me, catching me off guard while I pondered with my thoughts. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, I don't know," Mira said as she twirled her white hair around her finger. "It's just that every time I see you and Natsu together, and you getting flustered around him, I just can't help but think what a lovely couple you two would be!"

"I…I…It's not like that at all!" I protested, and I was only partially correct.

"Come on Wendy, there's no denying it." Mira smiled one of her incredibly sweet smiles at me, as though she was encouraging me in some way. However, I could only muster a smile back at her and shake my head. I was not ready to accept that I have fallen in love with Natsu. And besides, he already had someone else.

That's right. I wasn't just insecure about my feelings towards Natsu because of the age gap. He already had someone else in mind. As much as I wanted to deny it, Natsu and Lucy were very close. There was no doubt that they're best friends, as they almost always went on missions together. Not to mention that Lucy was among the prettiest females in the Fairy Tail guild.

The question was, why hadn't Natsu asked her out even after all these years?

CRASH!

A pile of smoke was billowing in the middle of the guild hall. Apparently, Erza had finally caught the two accused culprits and finished dealing her punishment, as Natsu and Gray were both on the floor, white as chalk.

"And you're to never to mess with cake collection again!"

"Aye…"

As everyone else was laughing their heads off, I rushed over to the two semi-conscious men and immediately applied my healing spell on them both. I sighed at them, mostly toward Natsu, because of the commotion they caused only just coming back.

"There is just no end to this now, isn't it?" I told them both.

"Haha, you know it!" Natsu flashed one of his toothy grins at me. "Thanks for the heal, by the way"

"It's no problem at all, I'm always happy to help" I smiled back at him.

"Geez hothead, you just had to get me involved into this!" Gray stood up and dusted himself off.

"Well, I just felt like it. I mean, you were just there, lazing off your cold butt and all..."

"And that was why you had to get me into this little scheme of yours?"

"Well, someone had to knock some sense into you!"

"You wanna go pal?"

"Bring it on!"

And there they go again. I knew better than to hang around them as their fight broke out, and soon enough, the whole guild got involved. Maybe it was an instinctive thing among all male members of the guild, but there was no Fairy Tail without an all-out guild brawl.

I made my way to one of the safer areas to have a seat as Carla flew over to join me.

"These ruffians, they'll never learn, won't they?"

"You got that right…"

Despite all that, there was no denying that I enjoyed being in the company of these so-called ruffians. Throughout these years, they had been my family, and no matter what happens, we would always be there for each other.

Now, only if I could get the attention of a certain someone…

POOF!

A cloud of smoke appeared out of nowhere and took everyone by surprise. The brawling stopped, only to reveal what seemed to be a man in a ripped-up suit. His orange, mane-like hair was a mess, and the glasses he wore were lopsided.

It was Lucy who spoke up first. "How…but…weren't you…"

It was Loki, one of Lucy's celestial spirits. This should've been a surprise even to me and my teammates, considering the fact that Lucy had recently used Loki not too long ago.

"Lucy… I have to warn… dragons…"

And Loki collapsed from exhaustion.

And from that point forward, my whole life had begun to change.

**A/N: Surprised? Well, here it is. Screw it with polls, I'm gonna redo this story, that's what everyone wants right?**

**Updates will happen on an infrequent basis. That is, sometimes I will be posting like crazy, sometimes I may not even post at all. One thing's for sure: I'm not abandoning this story this time!**

**Also, please have a look at my other story, A Dragon's Instinct. It's my half-baked attempt at getting into the NaWen fandom again...**


	2. Insecurity

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail on any of its characters.**

**The Dragon Slayer Prophecy**

**Chapter 2: Insecurity**

All members of Fairy Tail were gathered around me as I began to work my magic on Loki, who was starting to revert to his human form. I didn't know Loki back then, so I found it strange that his hair began to shrink back a little, turning into a darker shade of orange.

Lucy was beside me, an expression of shock and despair etched on her face. Clearly it wasn't normal to see any celestial spirit in such a bad shape, as they would just disappear into the celestial spirit world if they had taken enough damage.

Watching us from above was Master Makarov, just barely towering over us, looking just as concerned as everyone else. Despite technically being a celestial spirit, Loki was still a member of Fairy Tail, thus his well-being was of Fairy Tail's concern as well.

While I healed Loki, I began to feel some sort of strange vibe coming from him. Maybe it was because he was a celestial spirit, but at that moment, I was more concerned on getting him patched up.

After a few moments, Loki had finally come to. He groaned as he tried to get back up.

"Loki-san, please take it easy. You're not fully recovered yet."

"Wendy?" Loki looked slightly confused as he stared at me, only to start groaning again, his hands clutching his head this time.

"Loki! Are you alright? Say something!" Lucy pleaded, clearly distraught.

"Ugh… what happened to me?"

"Beats me," mumbled Gray. "You just appeared without Lucy summoning you, looking as though you'd gone through some sort of sandstorm or something."

"I was?"

"Are you saying you don't remember what happened a few moments ago?" Lucy had drawn up that conclusion right away. Just shows how perceptive she is.

"Hey Lu-chan, that's not…" Levy started, but was cut short by Loki nodding in approval.

"Yeah, I'm a blank slate right now."

"No way…"

"Loki," Makarov's booming voice came in, taking everyone by surprise. "Try to think again. You mentioned warning Lucy and the others something in regards to the threat of dragons, am I correct?"

At the mention of dragons, my ears perked up, and I'm pretty sure Natsu's did as well. Gajeel even stirred a little.

"I think so…"

"Then you have no clue as to how you came across that information?"

"No, I can't remember."

This time, Erza spoke. "Any news on how the celestial spirit world is doing right now?"

At this moment, Loki got up abruptly and tried to turn on the spot, as if he was trying to get back to the celestial spirit world. Nothing happened.

"Lucy, quick! Try to summon a spirit!" Loki suddenly barked at Lucy.

"Al…al…alright," Lucy stammered as she fumbled through her pocket to retrieve one of her golden keys.

"Open! Gate of the Golden Bull! Taurus!"

But Taurus never arrived.

Lucy was getting frantic now. One after another, she tried to summon each of her celestial spirits, but to no avail.

"No…no…"

Loki was now pacing back and forth like a madman, frustrated at this sudden turn of events. "It can't be… It can't be happening…"

"Loki, care to give us an explanation?" Makarov asked.

"Something's up with the celestial spirit world. My gate, as well as the others, have all been blocked by some powerful force. However, I don't…"

In all my life, I had never seen Loki look so deranged. He'd completely lost his whole playboy charisma, and it was though Loki wasn't even there.

And as if by instinct, Lucy had went up to Loki's side and acted as his confidant. She stopped him from his pacing, and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"Hey," Lucy said through tears in her eyes, "as confused as I am right now, I know that you're putting the blame on yourself, and you shouldn't be doing that. We'll get through this together, you'll see."

"Lucy…"

"Well then," Makarov straightened himself in a matter of fact manner, "it' no good for us if we don't know what's going on. Loki, I want you to stay here at the guild until we get this sorted out. I shall provide you with support so that you can retain your human form while you're here. Until I'm able to consult more information on the matter, I don't want anyone else mentioning these circumstances to anyone else. Dismissed."

As I got up to go, however, Makarov spoke up again.

"Natsu, Gajeel, Wendy. I have something I wish to relay to you three in private. Please follow me."

I nodded to Carla to go on without me as I followed the other two into Makarov's study. Ever since Loki's sudden appearance that day, Natsu had a look of seriousness drawn up on his face, which I felt was kind of unnatural, given Natsu's normally cheerful personality. Gajeel looked the same as ever, though I could sense a little discomfort coming from him.

Lucy was still tending to Loki while Makarov closed the door behind us. Then he looked at us three with a solemn expression. "I suppose you understand why I have summoned you three separately from the rest of the guild?"

"Of course, you have info on the dragons, right Gramps?" Natsu blurted out.

"Oi, Salamander!" Gajeel started, but Makarov silenced him.

"Both yes and no," was Makarov's reply. He walked over to his desk, and with a wave of his hand, what appeared to be a complicated lock and safe materialized out of nowhere. Another wave of his hand, and the locks on the safe undid themselves, and what lay in front of us was a glowing scroll.

"This, my children, is the Dragon Slayer Prophecy."

"Dragon Slayer Prophecy?" The three of us gazed at the scroll in awe, though I wasn't sure why. It gave off a kind of unique sense of warmth, reminding me of the all too familiar scent of my foster dragon, Grandeeney. And I was pretty sure this was reminding Natsu and Gajeel of Igneel and Metallicana, respectively.

"Yes, as prophesied by Porlyusica herself," Makarov then went on ahead to put the scroll away, snapping us from our stupor. "Years ago, Porlyusica had a vision, one of which involves the union of three dragon slayers within our guild. It is said that something of great proportions will happen due to this. However, it is not within my power to let you know its contents. All will come with due time."

"Porlyusica-san drafted this?" I asked out of curiosity. She was like a second mother to me, ever since she mentioned she was the Edolas counterpart of Grandeeney.

"Yes Wendy, years ago, Porlyusica had a vision in which once the arrival of three dragon slayers were ever to come true, something grand, but not necessarily good, was bound to happen." Makarov had repeated himself, but did not elaborate.

"And you're only telling us this now because?" Gajeel asked.

"Like I said earlier, it is not within my power to tell you its contents."

"But Gramps! This could be the only real lead I have to finally finding out where Igneel…"

"Natsu!"

Makarov had silenced him with a rather frightening glare. The moments following were those of him getting all of us to assure him that this matter was to be contained only amongst us four, and that no one was to know about it.

"No one is to know of this as of yet. Promise me you'll keep this a secret."

By the time we left Makarov's study, it was already getting pretty late. Gajeel had left the guild, leaving Natsu and I alone to check up on how Lucy and Loki were doing. We tracked their scents to the infirmary, where we found Loki in one of the beds, apparently asleep, with Lucy appearing to doze off on a chair beside him.

"Hey Luce!"

"Wha?!" Lucy bolted upright at Natsu's sudden interjection. "Natsu! You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

"We were just coming in to see how you and Loki-san were doing," I piped up.

Lucy sighed. "He fell asleep as soon as I was able to get him into the right state," she said while glancing sideways at her celestial spirit friend. "Honestly, I've never seen Loki act up like this since like ever."

"Well, whatever that may be, we'll be to back him up right?" said Natsu. "We are all members of Fairy Tail, and we stick to each other!"

"Yeah, you got that right!"

While Natsu and Lucy were happily conversing with each other, I couldn't help but feel a little jealous, and left out for that matter. While I knew I had no grounds to feel that way, I just couldn't help it. Sure Natsu and Lucy were just having a friendly chat, and there was nothing wrong with that.

However, the more I saw them together, the more I felt that they would've been a happy couple. The way they interacted, they way they got along so well, it was no wonder why people always teased them on being boyfriend and girlfriend.

Well, I guess I was able to prove Mirajane wrong on one point, but all and all, Mira was probably just playing around with me.

After several minutes of silence on my end and not knowing what to say, I decided to go home. I mumbled a quick "see you tomorrow" before leaving.

However, I did sense Natsu turning back to glance at me before I closed the door on them.

As I made my way back to Fairy Hills, I felt my eyes were beginning to water. Geez, how pathetic was I? But somehow, I just knew that things were going to end up that way. Maybe I should've been more supportive with Natsu and Lucy getting into a relationship.

The more I thought about it, the more the pain started biting away at my heart. I just couldn't let go of my feelings for Natsu. I often passed off my adoration for him as though he was an older brother I never had. That was all a lie.

Or maybe Mira was right about how I felt about Natsu, about how I was just denying my feelings for him. Either way, it was too painful for me to bear. It was as though this whole affair had been some sort of unrequited love, and that I was just trying to hinder an already-existing relationship.

"Wendy, your back… wait, why are you crying child?"

After entering my room, I didn't bother to change out of my street clothes as I collapsed on my bed, burying my face into my pillow. It didn't take long for Carla to get a gist of the situation. Nothing gets by her easily.

"Honestly, why would you be thinking about that at this point in time?" Carla asked after hearing what I had to say. "Shouldn't you be more concerned about how Loki's fiasco has to do with this "dragon" he mentioned?"

"I can't help it Carla," I was hugging my pillow as tight as possible, trying to force back the tears that were still threatening to come out. "Those thoughts just appeared all of a sudden, and I thought maybe, just maybe…"

Carla sighed. She knew better than to be angry at me for these childish thoughts. Instead, she had this to offer to me.

"You truly are in love with Natsu?"

I nodded.

"You can't block any thoughts of him out of your mind, correct?"

"Mm-hm…."

"And you're always thinking about you and him in, er, those kinds of "situations", am I right?"

"Yes, I totally… Hey! What the heck are you saying Carla?" I blurted as I felt myself go red. Carla managed to stifle a good laugh before responding, "I'm kidding, I'm kidding, it was just that you seemed so passionate about the subject, I just couldn't…"

"Carla…" I pouted.

Over the years, Carla had learned to drop some of her serious, uptight attitude and let loose a little. It took years of opening up and becoming friends with the members of Fairy Tail for her to change, and it was for the better.

After straightening herself out, Carla continued. "On a more serious note, why don't you just tell Natsu how you feel? I mean, I still don't see what you see in him, but wouldn't it be better see for yourself whether he harbours any feelings for you?"

"I know that, but it's too embarrassing!" I could just imagine myself fainting in front of Natsu, trying to confess to him. "I don't think I'll ever be able to do it!"

"Then how will you ever know whether or not he's in a relationship with Lucy?" Carla questioned me. "You're never going to know if you don't ask right?"

"But…"

"Wendy, listen to me!" Carla exclaimed. "You are going to tell him how you feel first thing tomorrow! Who cares what response you might get from him? All you need to do is go up to him and ask!"

I stared at Carla, startled at first. Here she was, edging me on to express my feelings, while I was moping and feeling insecure. One long look and I realized that Carla was smiling.

"And no matter what, I'll be rooting for you." Carla winked at the last statement.

"Um… yeah!" I nodded my head in approval.

"That's good to hear," Carla made her way to the washroom. "Well, we'd better get to bed soon. It'll be a big day tomorrow."

And a few moments later, we were both ready to call it a night.

I let out a sigh as I pulled the covers over Carla and myself. Yes, Carla was absolutely right. There was no need for me to hold back. I was going to do exactly what Carla said, that is to tell Natsu how I felt about him first thing next day. And indeed, it was going to be a big day tomorrow.

**A/N: And here I present to you another chapter! How did you guys like it? Am I being to mushy with Wendy's love for Natsu? As usual, fave, review, and follow! And thanks for reading!**


	3. The Meaning of Dragon

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail on any of its characters.**

**The Dragon Slayer Prophecy**

**Chapter 3: The Meaning of Dragon**

I woke up today to a bright ray of sunshine coming in through my window. As I sat up in bed, stretching and yawning, I thought about what Carla had said just the night before.

_"__You are going to tell him how you feel first thing tomorrow! Who cares what response you might get from him? All you need to do is go up to him and ask!"_

She was right. There was no point in doubting myself this time. Mustering up as much courage as I could, I was about to get changed before I realized that Carla wasn't there. Strange, I thought to myself, as I wouldn't expect Carla to head off toward the guild without me. No matter, today was a big day, and there was nothing that was going to stop me…

That was, moments after, I heard Levy's blood-curdling scream from across the hall.

Startled, and worried for my friend's sake, I dashed out of my room in my nightgown, straight into Levy's room. What I saw before my eyes was a slightly disturbing sight. Levy was there, all right, but something seemed off about her. As for her surroundings, I could see bookshelves that were knocked over, books that were usually kept in neat stacks strewn all across the floor, wallpaper peeling off all 4 corners as though they were clawed at; Wait? Claws?

As for Levy herself, her hair was all tangled up and her body seemed to be covered in fresh bruises. Who on earth could've done this to her?

"Levy-san, are you…?

"Stay away from me."

"Eh?" Now that was really off. Not only did she not speak in her own voice, but her whole demeanour was acting as though she were being hostile. Preparing for the worst, I took a battle stance before Levy made the first move.

I blocked her Solid Script: Flame spell with a quick wave of my hand. Not wanting to hurt Levy, I dodged her spells one after the other as she continued her assault, yelling "dragon scum!" after every attack.

"Levy-san! Please, what's going on?" I tried to get across to her, but to no avail. Unfortunately, I was caught off balance when she successfully landed a Solid Script: Hole spell right underneath me, which sent me plummeting down towards the first floor of the building.

Landing on my back against the desk in the reception area, I staggered a little before realizing that Levy had come right after me, still with that menacing look on her face.

"Look what you did, dragon scum! Do you think you deserve to live?"

And she summoned a block of iron in thin air, dropping it over top of me. Trapped, I could only watch in horror as Levy continued advancing towards me, repeating the same words over and over again.

Not wanting to endure any more of this, I panicked, and ended up releasing a Sky Dragon's Roar with such a force that was too powerful to my liking. It sent Levy flying towards the opposite end of the hall, crashing into the front entrance.

"Oh no, Levy-san!" Lifting the block of iron off of me and pushing various debris aside, I got up and ran towards Levy, hoping that I didn't go too far. However, I stopped in my tracks, shocked at what was happening right before my eyes.

Levy's body was slowly decaying, bits of flesh and bone gradually fading away as she lay there, not moving one inch at all.

No, there was no way this was happening…how could I have….?

I rushed over to Levy and tried to heal her, but somehow my spell seemed to be rendered useless, and Levy's presence was slowly beginning to deteriorate….

"See what you've done, dragon scum? You're very existence is not welcome here. You…"

"Stop it Levy-san! What are you saying? Come on, stay with me here!" I screamed through tears in my eyes. But somehow, I knew deep down that saying all this was worthless. Levy's life force was depleting, but before she truly disappeared, she had this to say.

"You are to bear this curse for all eternity…"

This was all wrong. This was all so very wrong. What in the world was happening? Did I just physically…. No, that can't be right! It wasn't intentional, I swear!

Plus, where were all the others? Erza, Juvia, why weren't they here to witness this? This got even more depressing when the sunshine suddenly turned to dark clouds of rain and thunder, booming and crackling into the distance.

What was I supposed to do? Where was I supposed to go now? What if I headed over to the guild and just told everyone about what happened earlier? My mind was in a haze as I dashed over the Fairy Tail, shivering in the cold.

Everyone should be able to understand right? Besides, Fairy Tail was my home, and surely I would be able to seek refuge amongst my friends. There was just no way I could've…

However, upon entering the doors of the guild, instead of that warm welcoming feeling I grew accustomed to, I was met with this instead:

"We've been waiting for you dragon scum…"

I wasn't able to recover my wits in time, and felt myself at the receiving end of a punch that was undoubtedly thrown by Elfman.

After crashing into several tables along the way, I got up slowly to find myself in the midst of everyone in Fairy Tail, all of whom were acting the same as Levy just moments ago.

"Dragon scum…"

"You don't deserve to be here…"

"Get lost you hideous creature…"

"Not after what you did to Levy…"

And seeing Gajeel amidst this crowd proved even more unsettling. Wasn't he a dragon slayer as well? What were his grounds in berating me for being this "dragon scum" they kept on mentioning?

"Please, everyone…"

"There be nothing left for you to say, dragon scum," And out behind the others came Lucy, looking just as menacing and deranged as everyone else. "You are to accept this verdict we place on you. You were never meant to exist, and by doing so, you endanger the lives of many. So, do not resist…"

So, my final place of refuge turned out to be useless after all. There was no escaping the inevitable. In times like this, it seemed as though it was necessary to accept my fate for what it was worth.

With pain in my chest, I replied, "If that is what you all think, then that's fine by me. As much as I don't want to hurt any of you, I will tell you that I am not one to go down that easily."

And with such a bold statement from my end, the following battle ensued. The first wave of attacks was from Jet and Droy, a barrage of lightning fast kicks and knuckle plants. Both of which I was able to keep up with, dodging and blocking with relative ease.

Next up was Elfman again, whom I knew to anticipate now. In his Weretiger form, his overall speed had increased, but then again, I was able to dodge every one of his attacks, summoning the occasional gust of wind to put some distance between us.

What I wasn't expecting was running into a trap setup by Cana. Once I stepped into the trap, the effect triggered, stunning me with several bolts of lightning before launching me into the air.

Then I felt two pairs of soft paws take a grab at my arms.

Looking up at either side, I saw Carla and Happy. At first I was relieved, thinking that I wasn't alone in putting up with this affair. "Carla, Happy, I…"

However, just a moment's glance at the two was enough to tell that they weren't on my side. They too had that same ominous aura that everyone else seemed to be emanating. Without one thought, they both threw me forcibly to the ground. As I cringed, taking in the impact of the collision, I caught a glimpse of Pantherlily in his humanoid form approaching me from above with a kick, before rolling to one side, just barely avoiding his attack.

I countered with my Sky Dragon's Wing Attack, sending attackers off into different directions. Dodging several of Juvia's water blasts, I did a flip and delivered a swift kick on Elfman before directing a Sky Dragon's Roar at Gray, who put up an ice shield just before my attack hit him.

"Not going down easily? Open! Celestial Gates! Cancer! Taurus! Scorpio! Loki!"

Wait, since when could Lucy open 4 gates at once? And wasn't Loki….

My curiosity got the better of me when I felt the combined power of the 4 celestial spirits attacks, effectively wearing me down some more. Not to mention Alzack and Bisca joining the fray, firing several of their rounds while I took in every one of them.

As I knelt on the ground, gasping for breath, I began to lose my train of thought. What was going on? Why was I being assaulted by the ones who I came to know as my family? Just thinking about it made me feel horrible. Just going through all of this made me feel lonely. What was the point? Why was I being treated this way? Little by little, I was beginning to feel slightly agitated…

"Any last words dragon scum?"

What was there left for me to say anyways? Clearly outnumbered, there was no chance of me escaping. Despite my years training to hone my dragon slayer abilities, it seemed as though I fell short on the desire to wreak havoc. The destructive power that marked the very essence of a dragon just didn't arise within me. If there was only some way, if only…

"Natsu-san…"

And like a miracle, Natsu appeared right before me, looking worried as he'll ever be. Crouching down to be level with me, he placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder, gently rubbing it as I choked back tears.

"Sorry for coming too late, Wendy. I swear, I'll make it up to you."

Then he stood up. "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU ALL THINK YOU'RE DOING TO WENDY! I'LL MAKE YOU ALL PAY, YOU HEAR?"

Before you knew it, Natsu was on a rampage, expelling fire in every which way, throwing punches in every direction, aiming kicks which sent people sprawling all over the place. As much as I was glad Natsu came to my rescue, I couldn't help but feel slightly distraught.

"Natsu-san! Be careful, they're our friends!"

But Natsu took no heed to my words. One by one, each and every member of Fairy Tail was taken down by the sheer force of Natsu's power. Pretty soon, the whole guild hall was in shambles, ruins left over by a hellish maelstrom of fire. Bodies lay scattered across the floor, either unconscious or possibly…

"Natsu-san! Please don't! If you go too far, everyone will…"

Natsu was looking even more demonic now. Having witnessed Natsu in Dragon Force was enough for me to determine how scary he looked back then, but now, it was a completely different story. Maybe everyone was being disillusioned by the fact that Natsu was looking almost like a dragon, because I was beginning to feel that vibe too.

Or maybe that was what everyone thought about me too…

"Erza…Mira…now!" came a demonic-sounding voice from Lucy.

And I was just able to realize that Erza and Mira were never part of the battle to begin with. Having been situated in the highest ramparts of the building, both seemed to be charging a deadly-looking spell, and it was aiming straight at Natsu.

Before I could even call out, the spell was fired, ripping clean through Natsu's upper body. I saw a streak a red, felt something warm and wet lash out against my face. I felt my heart stop, my breathing slowed, all while I watched the man I loved slowly falling…

"Wendy….I'm sorry…."

And Natsu collapsed on the floor, in a pool of his own blood.

That had done it. It felt as though the whole world had been dragged into an endless abyss. And there was nothing I could do as I stared at his disheveled body, lifeless, unmoving…

I began to scream, though I couldn't hear my voice. I wanted to cry, but no tears came. Instead, I felt this immense surge of anger, one in which I could not even comprehend. I was losing all sense of myself, my existence, and those around me. Little by little, this new exhilaration was getting the better of me, as I began to lose consciousness.

_"__Humans… they should know their place… should not… exist…"_

"Wendy? WENDY!"

I awoke with a start, breathing heavily while my heart was pounding against my chest. Panicking, I realized that I was still in bed, the sheets having long been thrown aside. Carla was beside me, her look of concern as plain as day.

"Wendy, child, are you alright? You nearly gave me a heart attack there. Was something bothering you?"

It was all a dream. None of that really happened. However, even realizing this did not make me feel any better, as my eyes began watering again.

"Everyone… Natsu-san… they were all…"

"There there child, you had a nightmare, everything will be alright, you see?"

At times like this, I was glad I had a friend in Carla. Pulling her close, I continued to cry into the night, with Carla snuggling against my face, providing the comfort I needed after going through such an ordeal.

As for that nightmare, I wondered to myself what that was all about. Somehow, I felt it had something to do with the prophecy Master Makarov had told me, Natsu, and Gajeel about. The nightmare itself seemed too surreal to me. What if this was really to happen sometime in the near future? Would I know what to do? Would my friends really act in that sort of manner?

Will I really lose Natsu forever?

With that in mind, I swore a silent oath to myself. I would get to the bottom of this mystery. I would put up with whatever ordeal that would be thrown at me in the coming times. I would do anything, literally anything, to ensure that Natsu was safe, and whatever future I had envisioned earlier would not come to fruition.

And I would come to know that this nightmare was to continue to haunt me in the following days to come.

**A/N: And so we start and conclude another chapter in this saga. Those who did read the old version of my story before would've known this was about to happen. Not sure if I made this feel gut-wrenching enough, or how well the fight scenes played out. But hey, I'm not the best writer...**

**As usual, what were your thoughts? Please review, and thanks again!**


	4. High Expectations

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or any of its characters.**

**The Dragon Slayer Prophecy**

**Chapter 4: High Expectations**

I was truly awake this time.

The nightmare I had the other night still had me cringing at the thought of it, but I felt like I needed to put it behind me a little. After all, today was going to be a special day. I had willed myself the other night to pull through with this, no matter the consequences.

Today, I was going to confess to Natsu Dragneel.

Just the thought of it made me feel a little lightheaded. I mean, there was no way he'd just willingly accept it, would he? I mean, I only just became of age today, so just telling him now would make people wonder…

Wait, I'm 18 now… that means…

"Carla! Wake up! You know what day it is, don't you?"

"Whazzat child…?" Carla groggily opened her eyes as I shook her furiously with my two hands. Seeing the enlightened gleam in my eyes, Carla came to realize that is was…

"Your birthday! Dear gods, how could I have forgotten? No wonder you were looking so excited just now!"

"I know right!" I beamed while skipping around and twirling in my room. "I'm turning 18 today, so I'm an adult now! I'll no longer be treated like a kid anymore!"

Carla giggled. "Well, you would first have start acting like one before even saying that you are one. Dear child, you haven't changed one bit since I met you all those years ago…"

"Haha, sorry…" I replied sheepishly and stopped in my tracks. Carla shook her head as she flew over to where I was. "Listen, remember what I told you last night and why I was so adamant about it? Well, you would've known by now, right? This is the perfect opportunity for you!"

"You're absolutely right Carla!" I gazed out my window into the sunrise. Surely, I was feeling a huge surge of confidence welling up inside of me. Of course today would be a great time to tell Natsu how I felt about him. And no one would find it weird because, well…

"So, what are you waiting for child?" Carla tugged at my arm and snapped me out of my reverie. "Let's get going to the guild now!"

"Oh, right!"

That being said, I quickly brushed my teeth and did my hair into my favourite pigtailed style. I browsed through my closet and picked out the most fashionable dress I had. One quick look in the mirror, and Carla and I were headed off to Fairy Tail.

"My, my, if it isn't Fairy Tail's Sky Maiden!"

"She looks absolutely stunning today!"

"I wonder what the occasion is?"

"Oh, I wish people would stop staring at me…" I mumbled as we walked through the streets of Magnolia, while onlookers were gossiping. Carla, however, was unfazed.

"Don't let them get to you. And plus, aren't you used to it by now? I mean, you're pretty well known now, thanks to the Grand Magic Games the country holds every year."

"Yeah, but still…"

Moving along, we made it through Fairy Tail's main entrance, and surely enough, Natsu was having a blow-by-blow fistfight with none other than Gray. Lucy was sitting at the side, shaking her head while Juvia was cheering them on.

As if on cue, Natsu stopped fighting and pushed Gray to the side once Carla and I had arrived. Running over to greet us, he said, "What's up Wendy? Ready for another day of questing?"

"Um, actually Natsu-san, I was going to…"

But Natsu totally ignored me. Held in front of my face was none other than your usual Fairy Tail job request, something I was all to familiar with. I hadn't even noticed the Happy had dragged Carla to the side as if he needed to tell her something.

"I was first in line to pick this one up this morning! Would you look at that reward! 500,000 jewels! I mean, that's enough to cover Lucy's rent for the next few months!"

"Natsu-san? Can I…?"

"That's totally fine by me!" Lucy replied cheerily, walking over. "I could use that extra cash, unless, well, Natsu messes up again…"

"But…"

"Hey, what're you going on telling Wendy about a high-paying job without me for, huh Flame Brain?" Gray then came storming over with a smug look on his face. "You ain't gonna win big without me tagging along!"

"Listen you guys, can I just…"

"Then it's settled," Erza made her presence known by slamming her sword down into the wooden floor. "Fairy Tail's strongest team will tackle this quest together!"

"HEY! WOULD EVERYONE JUST LISTEN TO ME FOR ONCE?"

I hadn't meant to sound that rude, but my sudden outburst did manage to get the attention of everyone in the guild. Pretty soon, I was in some unnecessary spotlight, making me feel extremely uncomfortable.

"Sorry Wendy, you wanted to say somethin'?" Natsu looked me in the eye. Over the years, I ended up growing a decent height, so I'm about half a head shorter than Natsu.

What was I going to say? All I wanted was to talk to Natsu on his own, to tell him my true feelings for him. There was no way I could do it in front of the whole guild. Not with everyone watching.

"Um…I…it's nothing. Don't worry about it," was all I could muster.

"Really? Oh, okay then…" Natsu looked at me curiously while scratching his head. Somehow, I was beginning to feel a little irked. I mean, he out of all people should know…

Happy and Carla flew over. Looking at her, Carla just shook her head and gave me a "just go with it" kind of look. I only nodded.

"Alright then, any more objections?" Erza did a quick survey of our group. "Then we're off!"

The task was way more difficult than expected. The description was simple enough, "Collect rare ingredients for the apothecary to concoct a healing potion designed towards reviving a fatigued village." Well, I guess it wasn't simple, but it sounded like an easy task to begin with.

Naturally, our group had to split up. Natsu, Lucy, and Happy followed one path to collect something called "Flesh-eating blade grass", while I ended up with Carla, Gray, and Erza in search for eggs from a rare species of Wyvern.

It was a complete disaster. Rather than fearing for the Wyvern mother returning for her offspring, it was the eggs that proved to be more of a threat. Once we approached them, they ended up growing 10 times their size, complete with monstrous limbs and all. And they spewed some sort of burning hot acid, which wasn't a pleasant experience.

Gray was responsible for freezing the eggs while Erza cut off their limbs with her many swords. Carla and I provided support from above, but that didn't prevent any of us from getting hit by the acid. Talk about tough luck.

After that whole fiasco, we managed to incapacitate and collect about a dozen of those eggs before heading over to meet up with the others. Despite me being able to heal up all our burns, it didn't prove useful for removing the acid stains and its respective revolting smell.

"Everyone! Over here!" Lucy waved to us cheerily as we walked down a mountain path to meet the other group down at the base. "You wouldn't believe how easy this was! At first, I thought that this plant was going to come out and lash at us, but instead, it was just like picking flowers! Talk about misleading descriptions!"

Glancing over, I could see Natsu absent-mindedly gazing over into the distance. Either he was upset that his task wasn't action-packed enough or that his mind was blank.

Now I was really infuriated. Normally, I wouldn't feel this way, but somehow, I just felt this anger well up inside me that I really wanted to lash out at someone. Walking over to Natsu, I ended up striking him across the face with all the force I could muster. Staggering a little, Natsu gave a me weird look.

"How could you? You of all people, Natsu-san! How could you all forgotten about my birthday!"

Of course him! I would understand if anyone else had forgotten, but Natsu? He of all people should've remembered! After all, it was he who…

Without stopping to look back, I ran. Despite some of them yelling at me to come back, I ignored them. I ran as fast as my legs could carry me, which was pretty fast compared to how I was back then. I let my tears fly past my face as I rushed across Magnolia, all the way until I reached Fairy Hills, in which I stormed into my room and buried my face into my pillow.

I probably cried for several hours. I must've made quite the commotion, as people knocked on my door, asking if I was okay. I found it only natural to keep silent. I didn't want anyone distracting me while I poured out my sorrow to my heart's content.

I was pretty much acting like a child, not very grown-up as I should have been. But to me, I didn't care about it that much.

I was more concerned about why Natsu had forgotten my birthday.

It was several years back when Natsu had asked me when it was. At first, I didn't know how to answer, knowing that I never knew my biological parents and all. So then, Natsu did the most spontaneous thing and declared that that day was to be my birthday.

And it became an annual thing, where Natsu would do any means necessary to provide me a good time during my special day. There was one year when I came back to the guild after a job when I realized that everything was set up elegantly as if I had just entered a five-star restaurant. Natsu had even dressed up, and pretended to be my waiter as he served up surprisingly delicious dishes. Only after a while I realized that he actually stole most of the stuff, and Fairy Tail had to pay a hefty fine for it, much to Master Makarov's dismay.

Another memorable year was when Natsu decided to take me to an amusement park. It was a really bad idea, mind you, even with me casting Troia to prevent his motion sickness. Natsu was pretty much getting a hang of all the rides, and I was enjoying myself as well, until the very last ride. A high speed, high voltage lacrima-power roller coaster. The effects of Troia had lifted, thus, you can tell me what happened next.

But one thing that made my every birthday feel so special was one of Natsu's personalized firework displays. Rather than using actual fireworks, Natsu would create many interesting shapes and scenes using his fire breath alone, which always lifted my spirits at the end of the day.

Now, that was all gone. Maybe I was asking for too much, but still…

In the end, I decided to head over to Fairy Tail. I began to feel a bit guilty after taking off like that, so I decided to go apologize. After all, I had to show that I've become mature over the past few years. It wasn't that having no birthday to celebrate was something to mope over. So, after I showered and changed into my regular attire, I took off.

Just as I entered the guild, everything went dark. Suddenly, my instincts went intact. Wasn't this all a little too familiar? Negative thoughts began filling my head as memories of that nightmare I had the other night surfaced. Preparing for the worst, I covered my eyes and ears as I felt a pair of strong hands lift me into the air.

But they didn't strangle me nor try to pin me against a wall.

Surprised, I looked down to seem Elfman's smiling face looking at me. "Surprised? Well, you're up for some manly action! Hold on tight!"

And with that, Elfman took off, carrying me down an aisle and then tossed me into open space. I was caught by a pair of strong talons, and found myself in the grasp of Lisanna, who had transformed into a giant hawk. "We have many great things to show you tonight, so please have a seat on the special spot we all reserved for you.

She then gently dropped me off in a rather comfortable armchair facing what seemed like a stage. At first, all was quiet, and there was barely any audible sound that could be heard. Not too long after, Master Makarov rose up on centre stage and delivered this message:

"Miss Wendy Marvell, our most honoured member of Fairy Tail, we ask for your permission to continue."

I couldn't believe it. After all this time, I thought that everyone had forgotten. But I found that I was mistaken. I couldn't believe myself either. There was no other answer waiting for me out there. It was my time to shine.

"Please begin," I squeaked, to eager to contain my excitement.

"Very well, let us celebrate Wendy Marvell's coming of age!"

Explosions. Music. Entertainment. Everyone from Fairy Tail had something to show off. It was a spectacular sight. From Jet and Droy's attempt at acrobatic feats (which was more comedic) to Macao and Wakaba's smoke display (disastrous results), everything was pretty much well-crafted and eye-catching.

There were a few performances that really stood out for me. Gray and Juvia showed the process of making an ice sculpture of me, with Juvia summoning water while Gray froze it in place. Erza made her swords and weaposn dance while in her Heaven's Wheel Armor. Levy and Cana told a story of how I came to be a part of Fairy Tail, Levy providing the script and Cana creating images with her cards.

Mirajane sang a number with her sweet angelic voice, which made my heart feel at ease. Her singing voice could make anyone feel rested and comfortable. I remember once having asked Mira whether I could take singing lessons with her. To that question, I still haven't gotten a straight answer from her yet.

Then, as usual, we had Gajeel butt in with his abnormal white suit and electric guitar, going about with one of his "Shooby Doo Bop" gigs. While I did find it kind of weird and out of tune, I couldn't help but laugh while this was going on. And at the same time, I found both Lucy and Loki dancing to said tune. It definitely did look out of place, but from what I could tell, Lucy was having a great time, and Loki seemed to be better off since that day he appeared.

And then all the lights went out. And I knew. The best moment was coming at last.

A faint ember glowing in centre stage. Gradually it started to burn, brighter than ever before. It only took a few seconds for the sparks to finally fly. Then, all at once, the spectacular finale had finally begun. Flames spewed from every corner of the hall. Geysers erupted from the floor. Flares rained down from the ceiling, and none of them seemed to damage anything at all.

These were controlled flames, only used for non-combative purposes. And the only time they were ever used were, well, hardly ever, but for special occasions only.

And Natsu appeared, his arms spread with a half-smile and a look of guilt on his face. Was I really going to forgive him for what I've been through today?

Happy and Carla flew over beside me and ushered me along. Along the way, Carla whispered into my ear, "Sorry Wendy, Happy made me swear not to tell you…"

I gave her a quick nod in understanding before I was left face to face with Natsu. I was so happy, so uncontrollably happy that I could just, that I can…

I dived into his outstretched arms. No words came out of my mouth. As much as I loved this man, as much as I loved this idiot, I really wasn't ready to tell him yet. Maybe at a more suitable time.

"Hey Wendy, a very happy birthday to you!" Natsu said, who finally broke into a grin.

"Thank you, Natsu-san…"

**A/N: The cliché birthday setup, where everyone pretends to forget one's birthday, only later revealing that it was meant to be a surprise. Reading through this, I'm beginning to think that I may have been making Lucy sound a little too antagonistic, which is not where I meant to go. So, if you do have any suggestions, please leave a review. Quick shout out to all those anons who've been posting reviews: thanks! And with you regular users, you've been receiving PM's from me, so you know the drill. **


	5. Tension Rising

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or any of its characters.**

**The Dragon Slayer Prophecy**

**Chapter 5: Tension Rising**

I woke up this morning all groggy and weary-eyed. What happened the other day again?

Oh right, it was my birthday. Wow, that was one heck of after party! I couldn't even remember all the intricate details, but one thing that struck out to me was how Cana force fed me one of her barrels of beer. I must've passed out after one or two seconds of drinking that stuff.

Most likely someone had carried me back to my dorm afterwards. I was sure that I was snuggled tight under my blanket, warm and cozy, recovering from the night before…

Hold on. If I was in bed, then why was I in a sitting position as opposed to lying down? Why did the thing I slept on feel hard instead of the usual softness that I was used to every night? Just when I was going to question my whereabouts, I felt a pair of forceful hands shaking my shoulders.

"WAKE UP WENDY! THERE'S TROUBLE! YA GOTTA SEE THIS! THIS IS BAD!"

"Huh? Waaa!" I woke with a start when I realized it was Natsu who was prodding me. Startled, I fell off the table I was sleeping on, while Natsu crawled over top of me, a look of extreme shock on his face.

"Natsu-san? What's wrong?" I asked, a little frightened at what was happening before me.

"You won't believe what just happened! I was only doing my usual, you know, picking a fight with Gray because he annoyed me, when all of a sudden, I started feeling drowsy," Natsu scratched his head while he thought. "And then Gray just kinda fell asleep in front of me, then Lucy, then Happy, then Erza…"

I cut Natsu off by pushing him aside to have a look around. Sure enough, everyone who was in the guild was fast asleep, dozing off and dreaming from the likes of it. Beside me was Carla, who was sleeping just like everyone else. Afraid for her sake, I started shaking her just like Natsu did to me.

"Carla! Can you hear me! Wake up!"

"It's no use Wendy, I've tried everyone, including Gramps!" Natsu shrugged as he watched my futile efforts to awaken my best friend.

"Even Master was affected? When did this happen…oh…."

This wasn't the day after my birthday. In fact, it had already been a few days past. This morning had been a pretty normal day for me, until I felt drowsy once I arrived at the guild. Finding a place to sit, I had already begun to fall asleep before catching a glimpse of a man with a cloak walking out of the guild.

"Natsu-san, did you happen to see anybody that we weren't familiar with?"

"Hm, now that you mention it…" Natsu scratched his chin. "Something liked this happened before, and it was a regular thing or somethin', but I just can't wrap my head around it…"

A regular thing? This to me sounded more abnormal! The fact that everyone at the guild was asleep and not able to wake up was anything but normal.

"Wait a sec!"

Natsu started sniffing the air, which prompted me to do the same. Indeed, there was this peculiar scent that was lingering around, as though the source had been here not too long ago. It was then I realized that I knew this person, as memories of him started resurfacing.

"Mystogan, huh? I thought so…"

I knew him as Jellal, as he was the one who took care of me years ago when Grandeeney had left me. However, upon meeting the real Jellal, I was then able to make out the difference.

"This is strange, Natsu-san, isn't he supposed to be back in Edolas?"

"Edolas? Where's that?"

"Don't you remember?" I started pacing, deep in thought. "That time when everything was sucked up by Anima, and we went with Carla and Happy to rescue our friends? And I thought Anima was shut down for good…"

"Anima? Oh now you're confusing me even more… wait… oh yeah, I remember now!" Natsu slammed his fist into his palm. "That damned place where we couldn't use our magic! But that Mystogan, he could've greeted us normally rather than doing that thing he used to do, I mean, what was he thinking? Personally, I would've liked to have a few rounds…"

As Natsu continued to rant, I noticed that there was only one job request pinned onto the request board. That was odd…

"Natsu-san! Over here!" I shouted as I grabbed his hand and dragged him over. I pulled the request off the board and showed it to him. "Mystogan-san must have left this here for someone!"

"Well, what're you waiting for? Read it!" Natsu exclaimed eagerly.

Without any further questioning, I read on, "_To the Dragon Slayers of Fairy Tail, I humbly request an urgent meeting. Please meet me in front of Cardia Cathedral. No questions asked."_

"Cardia Cathedral…why there of all places?"

"I dunno about that Wendy, but whatever it is, I guess it's the only way to save our friends." Natsu grinned excitedly at me. "So whaddya say, ready for another adventure?"

Instead of replying, I ended up drawing attention to how I was still holding on to Natsu's hand. Embarrassed, I let out a little "eep" and pulled my hand away from his, turning my back towards him.

"Yeah, sure, I'm okay with that…"

"Wendy?"

Oh goodness, I really needed to be more careful next time, I was thinking to myself. Out of all possible moments, why did I have to feel like this now? Shouldn't I be more worried about saving our guild?

"Oh right, what about Gajeel? Didn't that note address all Dragon Slayers or somethin'?"

That was right. While the note did mention "Dragon Slayers" specifically, it didn't seem like Gajeel was in a fit state to tag along with us. After all, he was among all the others put into a deep sleep. Natsu seemed to be grinning devilishly at the thought.

"Hey, why don't I draw on Gajeel's face while he's out cold like this? That bastard wouldn't know what hit him!"

"Natsu-san!" I lashed out at him in exasperation. "This is no time for this! We need to go now!"

"Alright, alright, I'm coming…"

And with that, the two of us took off and headed towards the cathedral. As much as I wanted to focus on the problem at hand, I couldn't help but feel how weird this was. I mean, I was alone with Natsu, and that by itself was kind of intimidating. However, what about that prophecy Master Makarov had mentioned? That day, he summoned all three of us Dragon Slayers to his office, yet how come Gajeel didn't seem to be a part of what's happening right now?

"Y'know Wendy, I'm kinda getting a bad feeling about this…"

"What was that Natsu-san?"

It was one of those moments when Natsu all of sudden went from being childishly goofy to noticeably serious. He had this kind of frown on his face in which was rare, even from the expression he bore while fighting.

"I've been thinking for some time, with all these strange things happening these days, I kinda get the feeling that something big is gonna happen, don't ya think?"

"Well," I felt my face fall a little, "I'm not sure if I really like where all this is going. To be honest, I'm kind of scared…"

"Then don't worry about it!" Natsu was then back to his old self, sporting his toothy grin. "Even if this does shake you up a little, I'll be there to protect you! You can count on it!"

I felt my face go red again. There he was, going on and saying really unnecessary things. However, it was this single-minded trait of his that drew me towards him. Natsu was a man with passion, his eyes set towards one goal, and he would do anything to go an achieve it. Sometimes, I wished that I had a little bit of that inside me.

Within a few minutes time, we had finally made it to Cardia Cathedral. At first, there didn't seem to be anyone there.

"Oi Mystogan!" Natsu shouted at the top of his lungs. "You know you're not being funny, right? I can already tell you're here, so just come out already!"

I could agree with Natsu, as my senses told me that Mystogan was hiding somewhere. Surely, he didn't reconstruct Anima to come back down to Earthland without a reason, did he?

And as though some fog had cleared up, Mystogan appeared out of thin air, sporting the same attire since the last time we met. His was pretty much an exact replica of Earthland's Jellal, with the only discernible difference being that his magical signature was significantly less. After all, Edolas was supposed to have been rid of all magic, at least from what I've heard.

However, what bugged me a little was that Mystogan was giving off this strange vibe, something I felt not to long ago coming from a certain someone…

All in all, I was glad to see him again, but I had to resist the urge to go up and hug him, as the current situation called for a serious tone.

"Natsu Dragneel." He looked in Natsu's direction, and then turned to me. "Wendy Marvell." He gave me a curt nod.

"What seems to be the problem Mystogan-san?"

"As much as it pains me to be able to see my Fairy Tail comrades again, I'm afraid I have really grave news as of now."

"Go on, we're listenin'"

"The kingdom of Edolas was in a state of turmoil once you Earthland wizards have left, all under the premise of not being able to use magic ever again. However, through time and effort, we were able to re-establish our kingdom again to its former working condition, understanding that we don't need to rely on magic to live on."

"Wow, that's amazing Mystogan-san!"

"However, those days were not to last. Until recently, even with Anima destroyed, some form of magic was able to sweep its way into our realm. It went about unnoticed until it began to take form. Care to take a guess what exactly it is?"

"Dragon." Natsu said with a straight face.

Mystogan nodded solemnly. "Yes, a dragon. Even while I was on Earthland, I've heard stories about the dragons, and the war they waged against each other and the humans all those years ago. At first, I was positive that it might have been a trick of the mind. But alas, dark forces are at work here."

"So then, why put the rest of Fairy Tail to sleep then? We could've all helped out here." Of course, that would've been the perfect solution. Wouldn't it be better if we had more forces at hand?

Sadly, Mystogan shook his head. "It's too risky Wendy. Any more magic flowing into my realm would cause internal chaos. That's why I left this task just for you two to take on. I've already established connections with the Fairy Tail from my realm, and they have been busy preparing magical equipment to use in battle."

As much as I took in and understood Mystogan's position, I couldn't see any good resulting from this arrangement. For one, during the Eclipse portal incident, none of the Dragon Slayers were able to slay one dragon. After that incident, I didn't want to have to go through it again. There was just no way.

Natsu seemed to have caught on to my discomfort. "Hey."

"Huh?" Apparently I was staring at the floor this whole time. Looking up to face Natsu, he had this to offer me. "No matter what the outcome is, we would've tried our best right? I mean, this is for the sake of our friends. We'll pull through with this together."

As much as I didn't want to face off against another dragon again, I felt my spirits lift a little after what Natsu had told me. Nodding in agreement, Natsu acknowledged it and turned to face Mystogan again.

"We accept. Just tell us how to get there."

"Very well," Without further ado, Mystogan pulled out one of his staves and began to conjure a magic circle underneath both Natsu and I. It began to glow, and slowly, it started to lift us off the ground.

"I spent a considerable amount of time devising a temporary way to get between Earthland and Edolas, and this is what I came up with. The magic should be stable enough to get you through, but it will only be for a limited time."

"This is where we part. I hope all goes well for you two. Thank you for your assistance."

And in one fell swoop, Mystogan swung his staff as though chopping off a rope that was anchoring something. The magic circle shot upwards at an alarming pace, sending Natsu and I skyrocketing up into the air.

"Ugh…. Transportation…" Natsu moaned as his face puffed up.

As soon as I was about roll my eyes, I began to feel my stomach churn a little. Did I eat a little too much today?

Pretty soon, I found myself in the same situation as Natsu; head spinning, cheeks puffed up, and clutching my stomach. It seemed as though I have reached that time in life where even I had to deal with a Dragon Slayer's greatest weakness: motion sickness.

As Natsu and I held on for dear life, I was able to make out that we were indeed leaving the kingdom of Fiore behind, as a bright flash of white light burned through, blinding us.

What we had met on the other side was totally unexpected.

**A/N: Man, I think I'm beginning to lack motivation to write! As much as I don't want to give up on this story, I'm feeling kinda out of it lately, even though I'm on summer break and don't necessarily have anything else planned. Are there any inconsistencies with my story so far? Please leave a friendly review, and thanks!**


	6. Return to Edolas

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or any of its characters**

**The Dragon Slayer Prophecy**

**Chapter 6: Return to Edolas**

A hellish wasteland.

This was where Natsu and I found ourselves once we landed forcibly into the land of Edolas. Recovering from my recently acquired motion sickness was enough for me to handle, but the sight around me was able to snap me out of me reverie.

"No way…"

"Hey Wendy, you sure this is Edolas? I don't remember it being so creepy and all."

The strange vegetation that made this realm unique was nowhere in sight. The rivers were dried up, and there were various cracks and fissures along their paths. There was literally not a single living thing in sight, only to be confirmed by our Dragon Slayer senses. However…

"Natsu-san, there's someone nearby."

"I know. I smell something fishy here."

Little by little, the figure seemed to be approaching us quickly. There was something ominous about its aura, something among the likes of deathly and menacing.

Natsu, as impulsive as he was, was trying to hold back the urge to lash out and punch something. This figure's presence was just that intimidating. And to add to our confusion, whoever appeared before us was just some average member of the Edolas Royal Guard. How was someone as simple as him be able to scare us that easily? Nevertheless, I felt that there was no way we could've beaten this person.

There was a slight bit of fear in Natsu's voice as he spoke.

"Run, Wendy, RUN!"

There wasn't any need to have been told twice. I bolted in one direction, while Natsu followed suit. We could hear the soldier's footsteps right behind us as he gave chase, and little by little we were being followed by more armed foot soldiers; their numbers increasing the intensity of this menacing aura.

They were closing in on us. A couple of them had us surrounded in front, trying to corner us.

"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" Natsu yelled as he threw a punch at one of the soldiers. However, rather than being engulfed by flames, the soldier just toppled over.

"Dammit! Why isn't my magic working?"

"Do I really need to tell you now?" I shook my head as we both jumped over another crowd of soldiers. Some of them tried to spear us in midair, in which we were lucky enough not to have been grazed by them.

The aura was getting stronger and stronger every time more soldiers made themselves known. It was almost as if the Dark Dragon Acnologia were here…

"No, that can't be it…"

I could see the sweat dripping from the sides of his face as Natsu pressed on, shoving soldiers aside while punching his way through the crowds. Even he was aware that Acnologia's presence meant no good. After all, none of Fairy Tail's best was able to beat him that one time.

I leapt over a few soldiers while planting my feet into one of their faces. He yelled and fell over while I rammed my shoulder into another one. They just kept coming. Even though they didn't pose much of a threat, the mere increase in numbers was able to catch us off guard. It was as though they were trying to intimidate us, to overpower us…

"Aaaahhhh!"

I hadn't been careful enough. One slight misstep and I found myself falling through a hole. I heard Natsu call after me, but his voice started fading away as I continued to sink deeper and deeper into the pit. Everything became all dark, and I wasn't able to hear a thing. My senses became all dull, and my mind was beginning to feel fuzzy.

And then I found myself lying in a bed.

It was a rather cozy atmosphere compared to where I was a few moments ago. There were candles lit up everywhere, and a few other beds were lined up beside mine; some of which were occupied.

And right in front of me, smiling, was none other than my Edolas counterpart.

Edo-Wendy didn't seem to change much, despite being older than I am. While I liked to keep my hair in two pigtails, she kept her hair loose in one long wavy pattern. She was wearing the same light blue tank top from our last encounter, and one thing I couldn't help but notice was, well, her chest area.

There was no telling how, um, well-developed they were. Looking down at my chest, I was starting to feel a little jealous as I thought to myself, why couldn't I have grown in those proportions?

That aside, Edo-Wendy was the first to speak.

"So we meet again, little me."

"Um…I…"

"Don't worry, your friend is alright." She sighed as she turned to face the door. "In fact, I think he's on his way over here now…"

At that moment, the doors burst open as Natsu stood there, panting. Upon seeing me, he rushed over, accidentally knocking Edo-Wendy aside as he grabbed my shoulders, a pained expression on his face.

"ARE YOU ALRIGHT?"

"Yeah Natsu-san, I'm…"

"ARE YOU HURT ANYWHERE?"

"Natsu-san, I said…"

"DO YOU NEED…?"

"I said I'm fine!" I yelled out of frustration. Sure, I was glad to see Natsu alive and well, and I was glad that he was concerned for me, but still, Natsu needed to know that there are things like personal space, right?

And that was when Natsu did something totally unexpected. He embraced me, while I sat there, shocked.

"I'm so glad Wendy, I thought I had lost you! When you fell into that pit, I couldn't keep up with you, and then you just disappeared…"

"Natsu-san?" I felt my own internal temperature rise as Natsu continued to hug me. As much as I liked what was happening, I was beginning to realize the effects of what happened to us earlier. The aura those soldiers had definitely had the essence of Acnologia lurking amongst it. It was powerful enough to strike fear into our hearts, and I was pretty sure I was almost at the point of losing my sanity.

"We found you lying in a ditch, unconscious." Edo-Wendy added, getting herself back up. "It was then that he came along, and we had to carry you to our secret base."

"Secret base?" I asked while Natsu let me go.

"Yeah, of course it has to be secret! Why else wouldn't it be?" came a rambunctious feminine voice. Without question, I already knew who this was.

Lucy Ashley. Lucy's Edolas counterpart.

"We've been in hiding for quite a while now, since that dragon had showed up." Edo-Lucy leaned against the wall with her arms crossed. "Of course, us at Fairy Tail are already experts at this stuff, so it's no biggie."

"But those guards, aren't they…"

"Possessed," Edo-Wendy cut me off as she continued. "Yes, we've been working with Edolas royalty ever since this dragon showed up, but it seemed like it was able to use some form of magic and made them turn on us. So far, everyone else except for us and the king were affected. Did he forget to tell you or something?"

"No, I don't recall…"

How could Mystogan leave out such an important detail like that? Not only were we up against a dragon, but an army of possessed soldiers! And to make matters worse, there was still the lingering presence of Acnologia that was left unexplained.

"Oh crap, just when I thought this was gonna be easy!" Natsu had slammed his fist on a bedside table, which startled everyone for a second. "Now I'm feeling all, y'know, um, I don't know!"

I could understand how Natsu felt. Moments ago, I was also feeling the sensation of complete despair lurking over me, and all the confidence I had coming to Edolas was slowly beginning to go away, sapping me of my strength.

"Yeah, it does that, this dragon," Edo-Lucy shrugged. "That's why we've been arming up, using the magic that has been seeping through into our realm." She pulled out what seemed to be like a baton before clicking it, which brought out an energized whip. "Can't go down without fighting back, yeah?"

"Oh, we almost forgot," Edo-Wendy pulled out something from her pocket, revealing two small pills in her hand. "You guys are going to need your magic too, so you'd better fuel up."

"Alright! Now you're talkin'!" Natsu, being the one who could easily switch up his mood, hastily gulped down his share while I did the same. Instantly, I felt a sense of warmth fueling inside me and my magic reserves seemed to have recharged. Just to double-check, I made a few small gusts of wind flow out from my hands. Natsu set his fist on fire, a grin etched upon his face.

"Now I'm all fired up! So, when do we get to take out the dragon huh?"

"KNOCK IT OFF YOU IDIOT!"

"Ow! What was that for?"

Edo-Lucy had pounded her fist atop of Natsu's head. I only watched in horror as the two argued against each other, with the end result being Natsu ensnared into one of Edo-Lucy's submission holds. Natsu seemed to be squealing in pain while I only watched with a pitiful smile on my face. Edo-Wendy only shook her head.

"You know that's not our Natsu, so I think you should stop doing that."

"Yeah, so what about it?" Edo-Lucy sneered. "He's pretty much the same guy, isn't he? Plus, it's not my fault you fell behind!"

Edo-Wendy cringed. Reading the atmosphere, I could tell something was off.

"Guys, cut it out! Let's just all…"

But before I could get my point across, even my worst fears had come to fruition.

Natsu Dragion, the Edolas counterpart of Natsu, came into the ward, walking hand in hand with a little girl with blonde hair. What he said next only confirmed my suspicions.

"H…h…honey, you really shouldn't, o…o…or our daughter…."

"KNOCK IT OFF WILL YA? I'M BUSY DEALING MY PUNISHMENT HERE!"

"I'm sorry!" Edo-Natsu cowered, bent down and covered his head. The girl, his daughter, patted his head in a calming fashion, although she didn't speak.

So this was it huh? In the parallel universe, Natsu and Lucy ended up together. My confidence just dropped to a whole other level. Although I really shouldn't have been thinking about things like this, these feelings, they just came to me. I held in my sorrow as I continued to see the married couple bicker over trivial matters.

However, what also bothered me was the fact that Edo-Wendy also seemed to have a similar reaction to mine. In fact, she looked way beyond her usual calm, collected self. I was about to ask what seemed to be bothering her before she took me by the hand and pulled me out of the room.

"You too," she nodded towards Natsu for him to come along. Reluctantly, Edo-Lucy let him go, only for her to pounce on her real husband; driving him into a painful-looking headlock.

Edo-Wendy led us down a long hallway, filled with rooms, which led me to believe that this was a…

"Hotel, yes," Edo-Wendy replied as though she read my mind. "Ever since the arrival of that dragon, many people have come to us to take refuge. That's why we've set up this area as a base for our operations. Levy has been responsible for helping out warding off intruders and whatnot. However, with a building this large housing many people, it's been difficult just trying to keep this place concealed."

She didn't even bother looking at us while she spoke. Or specifically, she was trying to avoid Natsu's gaze. As to why she did that, I wasn't quite sure, but somehow, I felt that I could connect to her somehow. If only she'd let me talk to her.

We reached a reception area, and there was only one person who occupied the desk in front of us. The Edolas version of Cana greeted us with a warm smile.

"Fancy meeting you two here! I take it that your arrival here is of utmost importance, is it not?"

"Hey Edo-Cana! What's up?"

"Hi there, pleased to meet you again." I had to remind myself that this version of Cana was the exact opposite of the Cana Alberona I came to know.

"Excuse the formalities, let's cut to the chase," Edo-Wendy cut in. "We need a room for these two so they can stay the night. Plans for battle will have to wait until tomorrow. I know we're kind of booked to the max now, but…"

"Then that shall not pose any problem now, would that?" Edo-Cana enthusiastically replied. "It seems we do have one more room for the night. Adding more to our ever-complicated building structure should be no problem for our diligent Levy-san. I let her now as soon as I can."

"Well then," Edo-Wendy took a sheet of paper from Edo-Cana and started heading in one direction, while Natsu and I followed her. She led us down yet another winding hallway until we reached the end of it, right in front of what seemed like a vacant room.

"Well, I guess I leave you two to it. I'll come see you guys first thing in the morning."

"Yeah, thank you for…" Before I was even able to complete my sentence, Edo-Wendy left in a huff.

"Geez, I wonder what's up with her?" Natsu thought out loud as we both entered the room. "I mean, being all, um, what was that word again?"

"Cryptic?"

"Yeah, something like that. Being all 'I'm not telling you this' and 'Not looking at you for whatever reason'. I mean, what gives?"

I was most definitely also wondering what may have been troubling Edo-Wendy. First of all, it looked like she wasn't on friendly terms with Edo-Lucy. Secondly, she just wouldn't even look at Natsu for a full few seconds. I ran these thoughts through my head before coming to a halt when I realized that something was off.

There was only one bed in the room.

And things were just about to get more interesting.

**A/N: The start of the first arc is here! I've decided that there are going to be 3 major arcs to this story, each probably ranging between 5 to 10 chapters. Well, that'll depend if I stay true to my word...**

**Anyways, please leave a friendly review, and tell me how you like the story so far. I'm open to suggestions!**


	7. Private Matters

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or any of its characters.**

**The Dragon Slayer Prophecy**

**Chapter 7: Private Matters**

One bed. Double size. Enough for two people to sleep on.

That was all I thought of, totally disregarding the bigger picture of the predicament that we were all facing. I mean, it was understandable that the Edolas Fairy Tail was running out of rooms, but this was just a little too much. After all, it was Natsu whom I was going to…..

Natsu? Oh goodness! Why did it have to be him of all people? I mean, during lengthy quests, I wouldn't have minded sharing a bed with Carla, Lucy, or Erza if we had to stay the night at an inn. However, I wouldn't have dared tried asking to sleep with any of the guys. Honestly, that thought had never ran across my mind up until now, and currently, I was facing what seemed to be my biggest challenge in life so far, and it had nothing to do with physical endurance nor combat.

As I stood there, dumfounded and shocked, I could sense Natsu beside me, sweating like crazy. Was he just as nervous as I was? Oh no, I must've made him feel awkward! I wanted to speak with him about it, but I was too stunned to even utter a word. I guess I might have had too much information taken in today, and my senses were becoming null, as all I felt right now was this intense heartbeat that ceased to stop pounding against my chest.

However, it was Natsu who spoke first.

"Um Wendy? You can take the bed if you want. I can just sleep on the floor since, y'know, things like this and that…"

"Natsu-san?"

Natsu continued to mumble nonsense, which I interpreted as an excuse not to share a bed with me. While I did think it was chivalrous of him to think about how I felt, I didn't want him to suffer lying down on a hardwood floor. I guess it would be alright; it was just for one night, right?

"I…I…It's okay, N…N…Natsu-san…." I stuttered as I fidgeted with my hands behind my back. "I…I don't m…m…mind…"

"HUH?" Natsu staggered back a little, with a look of utter terror on his face. Well, that must have been a shocking revelation for him. I even surprised myself a little at Natsu's reaction. He normally wouldn't usually be so cautious around these matters, but here he was, just as shaky and uncomfortable at the fact that we might be forced to…. Ah geez, what was I thinking?

Natsu held his hands up in a surrendering kind of gesture. "No, no, it's fine!" He said as he paced back and forth around the room. "You don't have to worry yourself with this! I'll just find a nice soft piece of floor to…"

"I TOLD YOU IT'S OKAY!"

Natsu froze for a second while I stood there, confused as to why I had suddenly let out that outburst. What did I just do? What was I thinking? Was I really okay with this? More importantly, was Natsu okay with this? I know that deep down, I really liked this man, but sleeping in the same bed was going a bit too far. At least, that was what I thought.

"See, look here," I walked over to the bed and picked up one of the blankets. I started rolling it up, and then I placed it down the middle of the bed. "We can just keep it this way, right? I get this side of the bed, and you get that side. There, problem solved!" I tried to smile, but I felt like it was forced.

At first, Natsu didn't seem to understand what was going on. However, when it did get to him, he went back to his old cheery self. "There we go! Why couldn't I have thought of that?" He let out a sigh of relief before he continued, "That's why we have you on our team Wendy, because I wouldn't have know what to do in this situation, heh heh…"

I felt myself blush a little. Sure, it was a pretty stupid compliment for such a little thing really. However, it was Natsu we were talking about here. Any praise I got from him stung like a nettle through my heart.

There was a faint grumbling sound.

I didn't even need to figure out that it was Natsu's stomach rumbling. He clutched it, looking slightly embarrassed.

"Heh, who knew how hungry I was after all that? Y'know what? Why don't I try to find us something to eat? You wanna come along?"

"No, it's alright. I think I'll rest here for a bit. You go on ahead without me."

After politely declining, Natsu headed out, leaving me alone to collect my thoughts. I really needed to cool off somehow. Maybe a shower would help, I thought as I entered the bathroom.

I stared at myself in the mirror for a bit. How to describe myself in my current condition: a flustered young woman with blue pigtails who only looked cuter the more she felt insecure about himself. Gosh, why did I have to look like this? I never asked for this appearance, yet as I aged, I couldn't help but realize how much more feminine I've become. To think that these past few years that I had been on the receiving end of looks from various male residents of Magnolia…..

Taking off my clothes, I folded them neatly and put them on the floor by the door. Opening the shower stall, I slowly made my way in and turned it on. I felt a lush wave of cold water rinse down my back, slowly becoming warmer as I turned up the heat. I let out a sigh of relief as I let the water rain down upon my head and flow down through my hair.

Sometimes, a relaxing shower was worth it after a long day to soothe out all your troubles. The showers at Fairy Hills were nice enough, but there was something about this shower that made me feel enlightened; as though I had reached a whole new plane of existence. All the world's troubles forgotten, I continued to enjoy myself as I rinsed my hair with the sweet-smelling shampoo they had; brushing it along at the same time.

Grabbing a bar of lavender-scented soap, I let it glide down along my body, feeling its effects working down my pores; opening them up and cleansing my soul. Once again, I let the water flow down my body, completely exposing myself to the joy the shower had to offer me. And for once, I felt free, free to do whatever…..

CRASH!

"Sorry! Can't seem to find a bathroom anywhere! I….."

There he was. In the doorway. Facing my direction.

Here I was. In the shower. Completely exposed in every which way.

"KKKKKYYYYYYAAAAA!"

"I'm sorry!" Natsu yelled as he quickly ran out.

Quickly, I turned off the shower, grabbed a towel and wrapped it around myself. I stepped out cautiously, before collapsing against the wall, slowing moving into the sitting position. Never, in my whole life, have I ever been so….. No wait, actually I had been in these kinds of situations before. It was just that, this time, I couldn't have felt so…..

I got dressed as quickly as possible before heading out the bathroom and into the bedroom. Sure enough, Natsu was in the corner of the room, banging his head against the wall.

"Stupid! Stupid! Idiot! What! Was! I! Thinking?" Natsu shouted between every bang. "She's! Not! What! You! Think! You'll! Never! Be! Able! To!"

"Natsu-san?"

"WHA! WHAT! Oh….. Hey Wendy…. Um…..I…" Natsu turned around timidly, his face as red as the strawberries that were usually on Erza's cake, before kneeling on the floor, bowing in a mocking sort of fashion.

"I swear! I didn't see anything! If I did, Erza would kill me!"

"Natsu-san, it's okay, you don't have to worry about it. I won't tell Erza-san."

"Eh?" Natsu looked up at me like an innocent child. "You sure? You ain't mad at me?"

"Of course not, why would I be mad?" I said with a warm smile. "As long as it was just an accident, it'll be fine! Don't worry!"

A few years back, Erza had set up a regulation within the guild that moderated misconduct among the male members of the guild. The most common mishap was a male member peeking through the female baths, and anyone who was caught doing it was to receive a punishment so severe that no one dared talk about it. It was because of this that people like Natsu and Gray were no longer unaware about invading the privacy of women.

I could tell that Natsu was relieved, as he fell backwards and landed on the floor hard, a look of satisfaction on his face. He started giggling a little, making him look more and more like a little child who had just successfully got their parents to get something they wanted.

I managed to stifle a little laugh as I watched Natsu go about with his antics. Sure, he was immature for the most part, but over time, he had learned to be a bit more modest with things; although it would take him quite a while to completely cleanse his mind from all those naughty thoughts…

As Natsu finally composed himself, he got up, still looking cheerful; though I could tell he still had that feeling of guilt stuck inside of him.

"Look Wendy, I'm still sorry about what happened earlier, but since you've forgiven me, then I've got nothing to worry about, right?"

"Yeah," I nodded, feeling that faint blush creep up on my face again. However, the problem with sleeping together on the same bed still remained. Even though my idea seemed good enough to pass up on, there was still no denying that I was going to have someone of the opposite gender sleeping right next to me.

"Okay then. Whew! Now I'm totally wiped out. Let's get some sleep now, shall we?" Natsu stretched his arms before collapsing on the left side of the bed. Without a second to spare, he was soon fast asleep.

Well, there didn't seem to be anything to lose. Plus, I was getting pretty tired too. Yawning, I carefully made my way towards to other side of the bed and pulled the covers over myself. However, my curiosity got the better of me as I got up and snuck a glance at the other side. There he was, Natsu Dragneel, snoring away with his mouth agape, drooling.

He wasn't perfect. He wasn't even the type that most girls would swoon over. However, it was him that my heart had grown a liking to. It didn't matter what other people said, because I had made my choice, and there was no way I could falter away from it. Smiling at this lovable idiot, I felt my eyelids droop as I drifted off into darkness…..

_"__Natsu-san! Please stop! Don't hurt our friends!"_

_But he wouldn't listen. The demonic being punched through the crowds with his flaming fists, roaring in satisfaction as they all fell to his unstoppable rampage. I only watched in utter terror as people I knew, friends I have grown to love, lose their lives to this raging menace._

_I tried to reach out to him. I tried in my best interests to restrain him. But he just plowed on through. And the worst was yet to come._

_That blinding flash of light that struck through him._

_That streak of crimson red that blinded my eyes._

_That scene of him, the one I loved, falling to his death._

_This sensation, it was driving me crazy. Fueled by both rage and sorrow, I felt myself change, both physically and mentally. I was becoming more than what I thought I was. I was….._

_"__Humans. Must be destroyed. At all costs…"_

I screamed at the top of my lungs. I jerked myself awake, sweating like crazy as I sat there, breathing heavily. It was only a dream; it was only a dream for goodness sake!

But it just seemed so real! I never had felt this way towards a dream, and plus, this wasn't the first time I had succumbed to it. What if it really did have something to do with the prophecy? What if this was to really happen sometime in the near future? Was there any way in avoiding it? As questions continued to formulate in my head, my eyes began to water. Oh geez, why did I have to get so emotional over this? If only I…..

"Wendy?"

"Eh?"

Natsu was awake. Dear gods, why did this have to happen now? As I roughly tried to wipe away my tears, Natsu's arm reach out and grabbed my own. Confused, I looked beside me and saw this extremely rare, pained look on his face.

"You're crying."

"No, Natsu-san, I'm not! It's just that, um, I had….."

"Nightmares. Yeah, I get them to." Quite suddenly, Natsu tossed aside the blanket wedged between us and pulled me closer towards him, which caught me off guard. Whoa, what was going on here?

"Natsu-san!"

He wrapped his free arm around me as he pulled me in closer, exposing me to his body heat. Almost immediately, I began to warm up to his touch, and I couldn't even determine whether the burning sensation across my face was me blushing or from Natsu's warmth. I began to feel better, enlightened even, that I was being exposed to such intimacy. If only I could tell him now. If I could…..

"Wendy, if you ever cry again, I swear that whoever made you that way while be paid back tenfold! That's a promise I'm gonna keep. Count on it."

I replied with only a nod. I was too tired, yet I felt so good resting in his arms. Only time will tell how far I was willing to go in order to get what I wanted, but for now, this was good enough.

And I was going to find out that I really depended on him a lot sooner than expected.

**A/N: Whew, another chapter done! Now, if you'll all excuse me, I have to go punish myself for writing out that little shower scene...**

**And as per usual: fav, follow, and more importantly, reviews please! And thanks!**


	8. Pulling Through

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or any of its characters.**

**The Dragon Slayer Prophecy**

**Chapter 8: Pulling Through**

It was a battle that couldn't be won.

Setting out towards the Edolas castle grounds was hard enough, considering the vast size of its army. Despite Natsu and I getting our magic back, it took wave upon wave of attacks just to clear a path.

The members of Edolas' Fairy Tail provided support, pelting the soldiers with whatever magic arsenal they had stored up over time. One by one the soldiers fell, only to have another one take his place. There was just no end to this, and we haven't even reached the main gate yet!

"Eat this! Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" Natsu plowed through a group of soldiers, knocking them down easily as he sent his flaming fist through their ranks. "It's gonna take a lot more than that to take me out! Bring it on!"

Out of everyone in our little ragtag rebellion force, Natsu seemed to be the only one enjoying this. Well, that couldn't be helped, as this was Natsu after all. Still, wouldn't it be better if Natsu had taken this a little more seriously? As I swept a few soldiers away with my Sky magic, my mind went back to the time yesterday when I spent the night with Natsu.

_"Wendy, if you ever cry again, I swear that whoever made you that way while be paid back tenfold! That's a promise I'm gonna keep. Count on it."_

Despite his childish attitude and unthinking rages, Natsu did know when to take things seriously. He understands the difficulties ahead, and yet he continues to move forward with a smile on his face. That's why I had to be strong too. That's why, for Natsu, I decided not to show any sign of sadness. He didn't want me to cry? Fine then. I'll show my enemies what I'm made of!

"Sky Dragon's Roar!"

A giant torrent of wind erupted from my mouth, sending soldiers flying and ripping up the terrain in its path. Pretty soon, the fighting had died down and everyone else had stopped what they were doing, looking at how much destruction I had caused in one strike.

"Whoa…" Edo-Elfman gasped.

"So powerful…" Edo Jet and Droy exclaimed in unison.

"I can't believe Earthland can handle this much magical energy…" Edo-Levy scratched her chin as she thought.

"Hey Wendy!" Natsu came running over to me, his excitement no longer able to be contained. "That. Was. AWESOME! Who knew you had all that in you!"

"Heh, I only learn from the best," I replied with a smile. "Not going to keep me from going all out!"

"Too right that is! High five!" Natsu raised his hand.

"Yeah!" I slapped his open palm with my own.

That's right. Even in the most desperate times, I would not show weakness to anyone. It was in my power to hold myself high, to pull through with this mission unscathed. And with Natsu by my side, I felt that I could do anything.

"Hey you two! If you're done being all lovey-dovey, then let's get a move on alright?"

"WE'RE NOT BEING LOVEY-DOVEY!" Both of us shouted back towards Edo-Lucy.

Well that was a little unnerving. Startled, I covered my face and turned away from Natsu. Why did this have to happen now? It was almost like those romance novels Chelia had once lent me to read during my spare time. So much for not showing any weakness…

"Wendy? Wendy? You all right there?"

I felt a warm hand rest itself on my shoulder. Even though it technically should have been my shoulder, it was my face that was burning up. Great, even the more reason to keep my face hidden from the others.

"Oh! You must've been too fired up from that attack you just pulled off just now! Come on, let's get you all calmed down. Just turn around and…" Natsu started taking deep, overexerted breaths, complete with unnecessary sound effects. Curious, I decided to sneak a peek at him, only to double up in laughter as Natsu face and belly bulged with each breath he took.

"Wendy! You're not doing it right! Come on, Erza told me this works all the time! Just like this; IN! OUT! IN! OUT…"

Seeing this as a moment to relax, I decided to join in the fun. Breathing in and out, just like what he said, though my breaths weren't as exaggerated as his was. Surprisingly, I found this exercise to work at pretty well. I was no longer scared when we first headed out towards the Edolas castle. In fact, it was pretty much being back in Fairy Tail again, all with the usual antics and shenanigans that went about each day.

"My, that looks quite enjoyable! Mind if I join in?" Edo-Cana casually walked beside us and started taking light and easy breaths.

"Er, I don't mind, I think I'll do it as well…" Edo-Natsu piped up.

"Well then, why don't we all?" Edo-Juvia added.

And with that, everyone was engaged in Natsu's deep-breathing exercise routine. It was quite a chaotic experience, none that I was unfamiliar with. Through seeing Edo-Reedus' bloating up, Edo-Gray's clothes falling apart from excessive breathing, and Edo-Mirajane just calmly exhaling, I felt more at ease, reminding myself what I was fighting for in the first place…

That was right. The real Fairy Tail, who was all now put into some deep sleep back in Earthland. That was when I started to sense that something fishy was going on around here. Why would Mystogan, or Edo-Jellal, have to put everyone to sleep? Why was it that he had to ability to do so?

"Alright! That's enough!" Edo-Lucy shouted at the top of her lungs. "Don't forget that we still have a mission to carry out here!"

"Oh, that's right!" Natsu stopped in mid breath before coming back to his senses. "We're not done here yet! So who's the next one waiting to get their ass kicked?"

But I wasn't going to let this continue.

"STOP!" I yelled, taking everyone by surprise. All eyes were on me now, including Natsu's. Feeling the need to figure out what was going on, and I dragged Natsu to the side and whispered what I felt to him. I couldn't let this pass off, as I felt something bad about it.

Natsu, being the clueless idiot he was, took a few moments to understand my doubts. When he finally did, he looked at me questioningly. "Are you sure about this?"

"Yes, I'm positive." I nodded with certainty.

"Hey, what are you two doing over there? Something wrong?" Edo-Lucy said as she came running over. "Something between you two that you don't feel like sharing with the rest of us?"

Uh oh. This was bad. We couldn't let the Edolas Fairy Tail think that we doubted them, despite the fact that it was true. They were working with Edo-Jellal, so wouldn't that make them suspicious too? I mean, what if they were all working under…

"We think there's something fishy going on with you lot!"

"Natsu-san!"

"And what makes you say that huh?" Edo-Lucy glared at us. "We saved your lives you know? We gave you your powers back, and in case you haven't noticed, all of Edolas has been taken over by a creature from your world! Why do you think something wrong with us? Huh?"

"Well, um, I…"

Before I could even utter a word, we were all met with a breeze of dark mist, and Edo-Jellal appeared right before us.

"That's enough Lucy, I'll take it from here."

"Your highness," Edo-Lucy backed off and bowed. All the rest of the Edolas Fairy Tail did the same.

"Take what from here?" Natsu growled. "Aren't you gonna tell us what the hell's going on?"

Edo-Jellal smirked. He raised his hand and said, "You don't need to know what's going on," before blasting Natsu with a bolt of pure magic energy from his hand.

Thankfully, Natsu dodged it and recovered quickly. He retaliated by sending a punch to Edo-Jellal's face, only to find that he had disappeared.

"Dammit…" Natsu sniffed around, trying to detect where Edo-Jellal was hiding, but he was too quick for him. Appearing directly out of the blue, Edo-Jellal landed an energized kick towards the back of Natsu's head, sending him sprawling across the ground.

Seeing as how this wasn't going to end well, I joined in anyway. I came in with a flying kick, but was caught by Edo-Jellal and thrown to the ground. I recovered and tried to sweep him off the ground, but he jumped out of the way and pelted Natsu with another energy blast as he tried charging in.

I took the opportunity to come in with another attack.

"Sky Dragon's Crushing… KKKYYAAAA!"

"Wendy!"

I felt a shock course through my body, as though I was hit by some sort of lightning spell. It was spreading rapidly, and pretty soon I couldn't move at all and fell to the ground.

"A failsafe, implanted into those pills we gave you to replenish your magic." Edo-Jellal turned to face me, with a devilish grin and the same aura the soldiers we fought back then erupting from his body. "Can't have you meddling with our master's plan."

"So you really were…"

"Yeah, that's right!" Edo-Lucy stepped forward, followed by the rest of the guild, all emitting the same dark aura. "We were in cahoots with the dragon all along, and both of you dolts fell right into our trap!"

"Damn you…" Natsu said through clenched teeth as he raised his fist.

"Natsu-san… don't…"

"Huh? Wendy?"

"Your friend has a point there. If you use your magic, wouldn't you just end up like her?" Edo-Jellal gave a heartless laugh. "No tricks up your sleeve now, eh?"

While Edo-Jellal continued to taunt Natsu, I felt many arms pick me up and force my hands behind my back. While they slowly dragged me away, I saw a look a sheer rage etched across Natsu's face as he tried to run towards me, only to be knocked aside by Edo-Jellal. Pretty soon, the rest of the Edolas Fairy Tail all ganged up on Natsu, beating him mercilessly while he screamed in rage, calling out to me.

I was getting exhausted. I wanted to keep on fighting. I wanted to reach out to Natsu, who was suffering. I needed too…

I blacked out, and the last thing I remembered seeing was Natsu being pinned to the ground, still looking in my direction, his arm outstretched.

…..

It was cold.

My body hurt all over. In fact, it was in so much pain, I forgot what pain had felt like. It was like I was completely paralyzed, as though no part of my body responded to any of my movements. Did I die? Was this what it felt like when you left the plane of existence? Such were the thoughts in my mind as I slowly began to regain consciousness.

"Natsu-san…"

_"__Wendy! WENDY!" I heard him scream. Beaten and bruised, Natsu put up a tremendous fight, but the Edolas Fairy Tail was too powerful for him. He was being restrained, his arms tied behind his back as he tried to shove off his attackers, but to no avail. And he was continuously being struck, to the point where he started to cough out blood…_

"NATSU-SAN!"

I awoke with a start, and the first thing I realized was that there was a cloth pulled across my mouth to prevent me from crying out. My arms and legs were tied to a wooden stake, suspended up in the center of what looked like to be a coliseum. Frantic, I tried to pull myself free, but my efforts were in vain. The effects of the pill still seemed to be taking hold, lest I dare try to use magic again.

Everything was dark. I could not sense a single living being in sight. As if this could be any creepier, an eerie noise was being played throughout. I started to shiver as I felt a cold draft breeze past me, while I heard shuffling in the background.

I dared not to make a sound. I couldn't, yet there was this great fear that seemed to be welling up inside of me. What was going on? And where was Natsu? How was I going to get out of this?

My heart started pounding rapidly. My arms and legs were sore from the ropes that were keeping them in place. I began to hyperventilate. Something was wrong with me, but what? What was I to expect?

And then he made himself known. A bright shade of emerald green flashed out in front of me, his fangs bared right in my face. I had no idea how he was here, or how did he get here, but there was no mistaking it.

Zirconis, the Jade Dragon, had been revived.

"Hello Sky Maiden," he said with a sneer. "So we meet again."

**A/N: Again with another update! As usual, please leave your kindhearted reviews, and thanks for reading!**

**On a side note, I put up a poll on my profile, asking whether or not I should start a NaWen community here on FanFiction. I'll only do it if I have enough support (unless someone else already has created a community).**


	9. The Power Within

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or any of its characters.**

**The Dragon Slayer Prophecy**

**Chapter 9: The Power Within**

"So, we meet again…" the dragon repeated in a menacing voice.

I couldn't believe my eyes. How in the name of all that was grand and mighty was Zirconis still alive? More so, wasn't he long dead even before the events surrounding the Eclipse Gate? I started trembling all over as the dragon's ugly face drew closer to mine.

"Ah yes, the unique scent of a human with the abilities of a dragon," Zirconis said after taking a few whiffs. "Such a shame to know how some of us actually believed that such treachery was tolerable! Humans are nothing more than food to us!"

As he rambled on, my thoughts went astray with panic as I began wondering where Natsu was. Seeing him brutally beaten like that was just unbearable. And who would've thought the Edolas' Fairy Tail was capable of inflicting that kind of damage!

More importantly, how was I going to escape? The ropes that held me were pretty tight, and I saw no loose ends to slip through. Plus, they seemed to be negating my magic somehow, as I felt my magic reserves depleting little by little as I remained suspended there.

What was I thinking? How could I just back out like that? The whole point of this mission was to get rid of the dragon that had mysteriously appeared in this realm, yet all I could think of was getting out of here. What would Natsu say about that? It was pretty cowardly of me, especially since I made all those vows to keep fighting for the sake of my friends…

"ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME?!"

Zirconis' voice boomed throughout, blasting my ears as though a lacrima-powered microphone was put into place. Seeing my confused expression, he shook his head.

"Oh, silly me, thinking that you could speak like that. Here you go."

With a small wave of his wings, I felt the cloth that was gagging me slip off my mouth. Taking a breath for relief, I blurted out the first thing that came to my mind.

"Where's Natsu-san?"

"Oh ho! So that's the first question the Sky Maiden asks me? No 'how the hell is Zirconis still alive?' or 'how did Zirconis get here?' or 'how did Zirconis attain so much power?' I'm offended!"

I didn't care about all of that. As self-centered as it may seem, all I could think of was Natsu. Where was he right now? Was he alright? I just couldn't fathom the idea that Natsu could be defeated that easily. He must still be fighting, somewhere nearby, hopefully…

"Where's Natsu-san?" I repeated, this time a bit more forcefully.

"Shut up!"

Just then, a searing pain shot across my shoulder. I cried out in surprise as it struck, a seemingly visible scar was there only for a few seconds, before fading away as though nothing had happened.

"There! Surprised?" Zirconis laughed as I struggled with the pain. "Bet you didn't know where that came from eh? Well, you're in for a show tonight!"

And the strangest thing happened. Zirconis disappeared into a fog of smoke. For a second, I couldn't detect his presence, as his scent just seemingly disappeared. However, that wasn't the case, as the smoke began to take form, molding itself into the shape of a human, floating in midair.

This human failed to discern his appearance from that of his dragon counterpart. He was obese, with a ragged jaw and unruly, brick-like hair; this was…

"Yes, there we go! Wouldn't have thought that I had a human form? Well, worry no more, as this is only the beginning of a new era for us dragons! The time has come for our return, and nothing will get in our way!"

"I don't care about what your plans are! I'm asking you to tell me where Natsu-san is!" I practically shouted at him. Zirconis sneered as he shook his head again.

"Geez, 'where's Natsu-san?' is all you pathetically utter out huh? Well, no matter, you'll meet the same fate as your dragon slayer friend soon…"

With a snap of his fingers, a lacrima-powered screen appeared out of thin air. As the picture slowly began to come into focus, I began to discern what I was seeing, and I did not like it at all.

There was Natsu, all bloodied and bruised, bound to a stake just like how I was. The only difference was that a giant sword was pointing at his chest; the very same one I kept dreaming about.

It started to glow…

"Natsu-san…"

It sped off towards him…

"Natsu-san, get out of there!"

It happened all too fast. I was reliving the nightmare I had grown to hate so much, and yet, it was happening all right before me. That blinding flash of light, the sound of the blade piercing through his body…

And then the screen faded to black. That was it. Everything was over now. My life up until now had just been put to waste. I screamed, writhing against my bonds as I yelled insult after insult at Zirconis, who just sneered at me.

"You monster…"

"And that's only the start of it all!" Zirconis shot back. "Once I finish you off, there will be nothing standing in our way during our conquest! The dragons shall rise again!"

"But then again," Zirconis now gave me this weird look, in which I knew that something bad was going to happen next.

"Why end it all right now? I've got a few spare minutes, so why don't we have a bit of fun, shall we?"

And with a simple nod of his head, I felt that same feeling a pain lashing out across me, as though I was cut by some invisible sword. The sensation had only just faded not too long before Zirconis sent another one at me, this time striking my legs. I shuddered as the pain was inflicted, before disappearing yet again.

"Yeah, we dragons have magical powers of our own, but this is just the beginning of a new generation! These powers, bestowed upon us by the great, powerful one; it is all ours to command! Take this! And that!"

One after another, the attacks kept coming at me, as I endured this sudden onslaught. I was in no fit mood to retaliate; in no proper state to continue fighting. It was all over now, as I sunk into an endless spiral of complete despair…

_A sudden wave of energy erupted from the stake to which Wendy Marvell was tied to. Zirconis stumbled backwards as the energy shot out in different directions, blasting apart the building and making the surroundings crumble. When Zirconis came to, he noticed that Wendy had freed herself, now staring menacingly towards him, shrouded in that same wave of energy._

_Without a moment to spare, Zirconis felt a powerful kick delivered right across his face which sent him flying in the opposite direction. He didn't have any time to react before being on the receiving end of an earth-shattering punch resulted in him sprawled to the floor._

_Zirconis looked up in shock as Wendy Marvell towered over him, sending wave after wave of furious punches, all with a neutral expression on her face. _

_"This isn't supposed to happen! What happened to the foretelling of the prophecy? I will not allow myself to be beaten by a human girl!"_

_With much effort, Zirconis threw Wendy off of him, and in an instant, he resumed his full-sized dragon form. He charged straight at Wendy, clasping her between his claws and smashing her into the ramparts of the building structure. He did this several times, believing that the impact will knock her out of her state._

_However, Wendy only stared at him with that same neutral expression, emotionless and unwavering. Zirconis felt a chill go down his own spine as he began to realize that for the first time ever, he was afraid._

_But at her? This foolish human girl who stole powers of a dragon? How could the great Jade dragon be scared of her? This was not what Zirconis had in mind._

_And effortlessly, Wendy broke out of Zirconis' grasp with a single Sky Dragon's Talon, making him cry out in pain as the dragon slayer magic burned through his claws. It was not long after in which Wendy let out an enhanced breath attack, enveloping Zirconis in a tornado of whirling sky magic, before dissipating and leaving Zirconis in a jumbled heap._

_Breathing heavily, Zirconis soon found his strength again and roared in anger. He was fed up with this girl, the one they called the Sky Maiden. He needed to prove that dragons were superior, and that dragons like Grandeeney were foolish to have taken a human child under their wing. Standing up until he was at full height, Zirconis began charging his breath attack…_

"Wendy….. Wendy….."

"W…w…what?"

Something strange must have happened to me, for I realized that I was standing upright, facing off against Zirconis. This was odd, I thought, as I was pretty sure I was had been tied up before that. What was even more unsettling was that Zirconis had resumed his dragon form, and was seemingly charging up his breath attack. As for myself, I seemed to have been completely drained; not knowing how and what had caused it.

I was so tired, yet I had no idea why. I felt my legs give in as I fell to kneeling position. This was all too beneficial from Zirconis' standpoint, but why did he look so angry? He was bloody and bruised all over, yet I don't remember fighting him at all. Even so, he had the advantage, as I had no more willpower left in me to fight back.

After all, Natsu was gone for good this time…

"Wendy….. WENDY!"

"Huh?"

"GGGRRRAAAAGGGHHHH!"

A fierce roar came out of nowhere, which had also caught Zirconis off by surprise. All too knowing of whom this was, my senses were knocked back into me as I saw a streamline of fire rush right through Zirconis' face, interrupting his attack. It had been a known fact ever since that his presence had always invigorated me. Without him, I just couldn't have made it this far in my life, and I owed it all to this one person.

"Sorry I took so long," Natsu said as he staggered his way towards me. He looked just as messed up as I was, with a bruised eye and a dislocated shoulder. "Never thought I could've made it out of that one."

"Natsu-san, but how…?"

"Let's just say I have my way around things, alright?" Natsu grinned as he placed his hand on my shoulder, and immediately I felt his warmth course through my body. This was all too good to be true. Here I was thinking that Natsu had passed and was lost forever. However, what I fool I had been; to have given up so easily…

"I'm sorry Natsu-san, if only I had been stronger…"

"Don't say that Wendy, you're already plenty strong!" He playfully shoved me a little. "Heck, you even took on a dragon on your own for the first time! Hell, I was never able to do that!" Natsu then pouted, which triggered a little giggle from me.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing, Natsu-san," I replied. "I'm just really glad that you're here with me."

"Too right you are." Natsu flashed his toothy grin at me, and then lent me his outstretched hand to help me to my feet. I accepted it, feeling my magical reserves replenish themselves again.

"DON'T IGNORE ME YOU HUMAN SCUM!"

Zirconis stumbled as he tried to get out of the rubble he collapsed into after Natsu's punch. With much effort, he got back into a standing position, his bloodshot eyes glaring into the both of us.

"I WILL NOT ALLOW MYSELF TO BE BEATEN BY HUMANS! THEY'RE MERELY FOOD TO ME! HOW CAN I HAVE BEEN BEATEN BY FOOD! I CANNONT COMPREHEND THIS!"

He really had lost it. I almost felt sorry for him. But what needed to be done just had to be done. And Natsu knew the same.

"Ready to end this?"

"You got it, Natsu-san."

Hand in hand, I felt Natsu's flames flow into me as I transferred some of my sky magic back towards him. We extended our opposite arms, channeling each other's power as we slowly made our way towards the bumbling, despicable dragon.

"NO, I WILL NOT ALLOW THIS!"

Natsu and I were one in the same. We were hearing each others' thoughts, seeing through the same eyes, feeling the same sensation as we charged our spell. We both only had one goal in mind; to put this dragon out of his own misery.

"STAY BACK! I'M WARNING YOU! YOU'LL REGRET THIS!"

We were one entity. We couldn't be stopped. We were going to show Zirconis what it meant to be a Dragon Slayer.

"Dragon Slayer Secret Technique…"

"Shattering Light…"

"EXPLODING FLAME BLADE!"

A destructive, yet brilliant torrent of flame and wind shot its way towards Zirconis. It was blinding, and the last thing I heard before finally collapsing was Zirconis' anguished scream, signalling his defeat.

As I lay there in the rubble, now completely drained for sure, I felt Natsu's hand squeeze mine, as though telling me that everything was okay. I squeezed back, smiling up into the Edolas sky as I knew that we were one step closer to unravelling the mystery of the prophecy. But for now, I was glad to have Natsu as company, as we both lay there, gazing into open space…..

_"Wendy. You have grown to be as strong as I hoped you were going to be. Words cannot express how proud I am of you. But, I never wanted this fate to have been bestowed upon you. I'm truly sorry that I have put you into this predicament. Once we meet again, everything will be clearer…"_

"Grandeeney?"

**A/N: And this pretty much signals the end of one of the 3 major arcs I have planned for this story. How do you like it? Please leave a friendly review, and yes, I will accept constructive criticism, so if there's anything you don't like, please let me know. However, I won't accept bashing and insults, because no one likes that.**

**As for that Natsu x Wendy community, I've decided to do it, though it'll probably have to wait until the new year. But if anyone's not willing to wait that long, by all means, someone else start it before I do! I'm just going to be leaving that poll on my profile, in case anyone else expresses an interest in it :)**


	10. One Step Further

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or any of its characters.**

**The Dragon Slayer Prophecy**

**Chapter 10: One Step Further**

I was sure of it. It was Grandeeney's voice calling out to me. I could feel her presence, but at the same time, she wasn't really there at all.

I was glad to have heard her voice after so long. For 13 years, I have longed to see my foster mother again, the great Sky Dragon Grandeeney. Even after meeting up with fellow dragon slayers Natsu and Gajeel, none of us were better off in our search for the dragons. They just vanished, never heard from again, and yet, I could sense that Grandeeney was nearby…

She must've been really proud of me, or at least from what I could hear. I had done the unthinkable and managed to defeat the Jade Dragon Zirconis. I had embraced what it really meant to bear the title of dragon slayer, and I had set myself on toward a destructive path.

However, how did I get the power to do so? I wasn't even aware of how I had beaten Zirconis so easily, so how was I able to do it in the end? There were just so many unanswered questions that my mind had jumbled itself into an array of complex thoughts and emotions that I couldn't…

"Rise and shine Little Me."

I opened my eyes just in time to see the smiling face of the older version of myself, the Wendy of Edolas. She was busy stirring what seemed to be a cup of tea while sitting by my bedside, just as I was realizing that I was hospitalized. I didn't take too long after my realization to start wincing in pain from my subtle movements.

"Here, drink this." Edo-Wendy held out the cup towards me and carefully poured the tea down my mouth. Instantly, I felt this surge of relief as the medicine began to work its way down my body, relieving the pain I was going through just seconds ago. Sighing heavily, I sat up a little and gazed at my counterpart questioningly.

"Well, all I can say is congrats, I guess." Edo-Wendy shrugged. "You actually managed to kill that dragon, which basically lifted the curse that was set on us. Just thinking about how he was able to control us like that, I don't even…"

"It's okay, don't blame yourself for it, it's none of your fault or anyone else's that such a thing happened to your world." I put up my brave face and clasped my hands over top of Edo-Wendy's. "I'm just glad everything's over now, and that your people can go back to living the lives you were meant to live."

"Yeah, I guess so. Kinda strange after 6 years of living a normal life that we were soon to be exposed to magic again." She took out one of her tonfas, twirling it around a bit so that sparkled a little, before setting it aside. "Ah well, guess this wasn't meant to last."

I could tell that there was this sense of sadness coming from Edo-Wendy that had nothing to do with the absence of magic. I was pretty sure that something else was bothering her, and somehow, I knew what the problem was. Even before we all went out to battle, I could sense some negative vibes once we found out about Lucy Ashley and Natsu Dragion being a thing.

"You liked Natsu-san, didn't you?"

"Whaa…. That isn't…" Edo-Wendy jerked a little, looking all flustered in a matter of seconds, before calming down and resuming her usual expression. "Yeah, you got me. It's all true."

"Do you wish to talk about it?"

Edo-Wendy sighed. She shook her head before saying. "There's no point to it now, it's something I'll never be able to reach. I mean, they're married now, so just thinking about it won't do me any good will it?" Even by saying these words, however painful they may have sounded, Edo-Wendy forced a smile onto her face. "Plus, I don't want to ruin any of my friendships due to my selfishness, it just isn't right."

I smiled back. "I see. I understand now."

"But that doesn't mean you don't have a chance now, do you?"

"Huh? What do you mean by that?" It was my turn to be all flustered as Edo-Wendy teasingly moved up closer to me. Somehow, I didn't like what was going to happen next.

"Oh come now, don't say that you don't like him in that way. I've seen the way you look at him…"

"But it's not like that, I mean, I don't…"

"Well, look at it this way then," Edo-Wendy stood up and put her hands on her hips. She stepped aside, revealing the person who occupied the bed beside me, who was none other than Natsu himself, fast asleep and snoring away. She looked at him for a while, and then looked back at me.

"I've told you a bit about my love life, and even though it didn't turn out to be that happy fairy tale ending, I believe you can take a book out of it and try to live up to what you desire. You're not going to be able to hide this forever, and I'm pretty sure he'll find out sooner or later, proven that he isn't as dense as what people claim him to be."

I looked at Edo-Wendy, looked at Natsu and back again. She was dead serious. I often had Carla tell me off for not confirming my feelings towards Natsu, but with Edo-Wendy giving me her support as well, I felt that I was one step closer to realizing what I had to do.

"But I don't think I'm ready yet, not until I've confirmed a few things."

"Is that so?"

Sure, as much as I wanted to admit to Natsu that I've always admired him, my gut just told me it wasn't time yet. I wasn't sure what major catastrophic event was required to get me to do so, but in the end, only time will tell how far I was willing to put up with this.

"Very well then, Little Me. I'll leave you to it then" Edo-Wendy turned to leave. Before she left, she gave me one last piece of advice.

"Wait too long and you'll regret it…"

And with a wink, she was gone.

…..

It took Natsu and I several days to fully recover. Once that was over, there was to be a celebration, congratulating both of us for liberating the realm of Edolas by getting rid of Zirconis. The Edolas Fairy Tail guild hall was refurbished to hold several hundreds of guests, as people from all around wanted to meet and thank us for the good we've brought to their lives.

I spent most of the first hour nervously shaking each and every hand that reached out to me, while Natsu mostly tried to do the same, not without intimidating most of them. Never have I once been treated so reverently, as though I was some sort of goddess. Not counting all those times citizens of Magnolia ogled at me each year I grew older. Those times really gave me chills up my spine…

Mystogan, or King Jellal as I should address him now, issued a formal apology along with the rest of his royal guard, for deceiving us in the first place. I really didn't mind that, as if it weren't for his sudden appearance that day, we wouldn't have known what troubles lay apart from our realm.

What I really wanted though was some time to catch up with King Jellal, my Jellal, the one who took care of me briefly when Grandeeney suddenly disappeared. After accepting his apology, I approached him cautiously, wondering what I should say to him. He only smiled.

"Wendy, you've grown so much, I don't even know where to begin…"

"Thank you."

King Jellal was slightly taken aback at first. "What for?"

"For that time in my life when you came to my aid. If you hadn't shown up like you did, I didn't think I would've survived in the world."

"Wendy…"

And I put my arms around him. A few words of appreciation I was never able to utter out, only to do so now. Everyone was cheering and clapping as King Jellal stood there, dumbfounded. However, he quickly came to and patted my shoulder lovingly, like the older brother I never once knew.

And Natsu could be seen in the corner of the room, smiling at me reassuringly and giving me the thumbs up.

"Now, enough with the riff raff, let's PARTY!" Lucy Ashley set off several fireworks, and the night of chaotic festivities began.

Loud music was blaring, colourful lights flashing off in every corner, and people were generally having a good time. There was a dance floor laid out in the centre of the hall, and immediately Natsu took to centre stage, showing off what he interpreted as dance. It was hysterical, him trying to imitate Lucy's celestial spirit Plue, as everyone was in uproar, laughing aloud at his antics. I only shook my head knowingly; there was just never a dull moment with Natsu around.

Then I felt a pair of hands push me towards centre stage. I stumbled forward unknowingly into Natsu's arms, embarrassed, looking up into his face, who looked just as confused.

I looked behind me and saw Edo-Wendy, who winked before shuffling away into the crowd. I turned to the side and saw Edo-Cana acknowledging Edo-Wendy's signal, who then started playing a record, and soon the hall was filled with gentle-sounding orchestral music.

"Hey, what gives? I was getting to the good part…"

But I stopped Natsu in mid-sentence. I wasn't going to be that shy little girl that I was 6 years ago. Forcing his hand on my waist and mine on his shoulder, I lead Natsu into a simple triple-time waltz, stepping and swaying to the steady beat. As strange as it felt, I kept him going, despite all the awkwardness that only intensified every step I took. I dared not look into his eyes nor at everyone else; I kept them glued to the floor, keen on not making eye contact with anyone. Gosh, so much for not being shy anymore…

"Wendy? You feeling okay?"

Of course Natsu wouldn't know about it, how could he? He was never the one to understand a girl's feelings. All those times he tried to pick a fight with Erza, all those times he spent with Lisanna, all those times he unintentionally harassed Lucy…

And slowly but surely, I felt my control over the dance being overtaken by his.

I felt Natsu guiding me along this time, swaying this side and that, stepping to the beat as we waltzed across the dance floor. I was no longer in control of myself, as I felt my feet move in time with Natsu's own, staying in pace with the music.

One, two, three, one two three…..

Everyone was clapping in rhythm while they watched us dance. The pace quickened as we continued, and Natsu became more vigorous as he dragged me along the dance floor. I felt my own pace slow down a little, surely out of tiredness, but the song wasn't over yet. I couldn't just give up and collapse just then, could I?

I regained myself and took the upper hand again, this time dragging Natsu off his feet as I led him through a frenzy of tricky steps and complicated turns. Faster and faster did the music play while our dance became more and more complex, spinning through a maelstrom of lights and colour…

And stop. The music came to an end, and Natsu and I held our pose, breathing heavily in exhaustion. The applause came not long after, clapping and cheering combined with catcalls and whoops. Only then did I look Natsu straight in the eyes; to see him grinning at me, as though he was a little child who had done something good and expected to be rewarded.

"Hey, next time you wanna dance, just let me know, alright? You were acting kinda weird before that, you know?"

"Yeah, well, I….." Words could not express how elated I felt after dancing with the boy of my dreams. The moment I had there was just too surreal, I didn't know if I was dreaming or not. Time and time again I had wished to spend some time alone with Natsu, just the two of us, and now, it was as though it were a dream come true.

"I just needed a little persuading, that's all." And by instinct, I pulled him closer to me and gave him a hug. That was all I could do.

There were many "oohs" and "aahs" coming from the crowd, but I didn't care anymore. Showing my affection towards Natsu in public was just one step forward in affirming it. Only if I were able to do it back in Earthland though…

"You know what Wendy?" Natsu said as he ruffled my hair. "I'm thinking I kinda like this weird side of you."

**A/N: And yet another update, and hopefully more reviews coming in? I do love reading them!**


	11. Supportive

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or any of its characters.**

**The Dragon Slayer Prophecy**

**Chapter 11: Supportive **

Boom! Crash! Pow!

Yes, this was indeed another typical day at Fairy Tail.

Chairs flipped, dents and cracks in the floor, and many semi-conscious bodies scattered across it; it was clear that another guild brawl had taken place. Most of us female members could only roll our eyes and sigh, while Erza was the only one who was brave enough to confront the males and deliver them a sound beating. Oh well, might as well let her do all the dirty work, right?

The only difference was that Natsu wasn't present. The most notorious combatant was absent from the usual comings and goings. Reason being, he was out on another job request with Lucy and Happy. Ever since our return from our Edolas adventure, he had been busying himself over with jobs, while Lucy and Happy, being his official partners, only willingly tagged along.

I tried not to think too much about it. They were only friends right? The more I began to think of Lucy as my rival, the more I thought that I was beginning to think like Juvia. That was going a little too far.

Recently, I decided to take up barmaid training under Mirajane in order to take my mind off some things. It was an interesting change of pace, not having to worry about getting attacked at any moment, and not having to run for your life at the slightest premonition of danger. I was pretty content with this kind of work, greeting fellow Fairy Tail members with a smile as I served them drinks and attended to their requests.

"Wendy, another order of Star Mango Martinis please!"

"Coming Mira-san!"

Garnishing the drinks with a slice of mango each, I brought the tray over to where Mira directed me towards, before coming back behind the counter.

"Alright Wendy, that should be enough for today."

"But I only just started today!"

"It's alright, I'll be able to manage from here… Oh Wendy, don't give me that face, or I'll feel guilty!" Mira replied as I pouted. "You can still help out tomorrow, there's still plenty of opportunities later on."

"Or…" Mirajane gave me a rather sly smile, " is there something you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Eh?"

"About you and Natsu, of course!" Mira said with that same ever so charming smile.

"I told you Mira-san, it's nothing like…" I stopped in mid-sentence and thought to myself. Maybe it was better off not to hold it in anymore. I mean, the journey to Edolas only reaffirmed and cemented my feelings toward the fire dragon slayer. What could go wrong if I told Mirajane? A lot of things, probably. Nevertheless, I decided to pull through.

"Ooh, our little Wendy's in love, isn't she?"

I nodded meekly in response. Mirajane smiled.

"But promise me this Mira-san…"

Mira only raised a finger to my lips as if she understood. Puzzled, I stared at the white-haired beauty as she told me this.

"I won't tell. I know when someone's truly in love, and I don't want to ruin it for you. Your secret is safe with me."

Well, that was certainly a surprise. Normally, Mirajane would be the first to spread rumours about love affairs between Fairy Tail members, but this time, well, I thought it was nice of her not to make this a big thing. At least, not until I was ready.

"Thank you, Mira-san."

Mirajane winked at me. "Now off with you and go enjoy the rest of your day!"

I took off my apron and headed off towards one of the tables to take a seat. Glancing across the hall, I noticed that Loki was kind of just standing there with a frown on his face. Oddly enough, I was still getting these ominous vibes coming from him. I decided not to pursue this matter. Whatever, his role was in this whole prophecy thing, I thought that it could wait. I didn't want to bother myself with the matter just yet.

"Wendy, are you in there?"

Carla came flying into the hall, but she wasn't alone. Accompanying her was a girl of slender build, her pink hair tied into pigtails with yellow ribbons.

"Chelia?"

"Wendy! Long time no see!" Chelia replied as I stood up and ran over to greet my friend.

Chelia Blendy was a mage from the Lamia Scale guild. She specialized in Sky God Slayer magic, and was pretty powerful to boot. We became close friends ever since our first encounter all those years ago at the Grand Magic Games.

"I happened to come across her on my way here and I thought that you might've wanted to see each other." Carla said as she landed beside me. "Besides, it has been a while since the three of us ever did anything fun together."

To that I could agree no less. For the past few years, Chelia had been busy training for Lamia Scale's S-Class exams. She would often be away for weeks, either to train or to tackle an S-Class mission along with Lyon Vastia, who over the course of these few years already attained his S-Class ranking. Chelia would find time to drop by and say hello every once in a while, but that was that.

"I know! I know!" Chelia bounced excitedly all of a sudden. " We should go to that beach near Hargeon people have been talking about lately! I've always wanted to feel what it was like to relax there!"

"Then what are we waiting for?" I asked as I grabbed both Chelia and Carla by the hand. "Let's get going then!"

…..

It was a calm, peaceful, and serene area. The warm sun shone down brightly upon the soft sand as the low tide gently brushed it before falling back toward the ocean. Children joyfully frolicked about, enjoying the natural beauty while their parents watched on, seemingly without a care in the world. It was the perfect getaway.

"Come on! Carla! Chelia!" I playfully dragged my two friends down towards the ocean right after we changed into our bathing suits, jumping into the cool, refreshing water with a graceful splash. We started off swimming a bit, letting the waves carry us around, essentially just floating in the water.

"Wendy…"

I was met head-on against a giant wave and tumbled over. Startled at first, I recovered only to see Chelia giggling, her finger pointing in my direction.

"Hey! Don't think you'll get off that easily!" With all my might, I sent another giant wave back at her, this time with her falling over into the water. Chelia emerged at the surface a few seconds later, a look of mock satisfaction of her face.

"My, my, someone's certainly improved over the past few years!"

"Well, you weren't the only one who trained all that time!"

And we continued to splash each other. I caught a glimpse of Carla watching us from above, shaking her head and muttering to herself, with a knowing look on her face. Chelia seemed to have caught on to my thoughts.

Instinctively, we both leaped into the air and grabbed Carla, before plummeting down towards the ocean. Escaping from our grasp, Carla gasped for air as she frowned.

"You two…"

And the three of us continued to play to our hearts content. It was just one of those rare moments in life where neither of us were bothered by the world's problems, enjoying life as it ought to be. It was not too last, so I wanted to make the best out of it.

After several hours, the three of us finally decided to take a break, laying down with our backs against the sand, basking in the warm sun. Several onlookers passed by and we lay there, clearly ogling at us.

"See that, it's the Sky Sisters!"

"Oh my gosh, I so wanted to see them in person!"

"They've really grown to be quite lovely, don't you think?"

Carla was the first to react. "Nothing to see here folks, the Sky Sisters will not be giving out any performances today. Now shoo, off with you!"

"Geez, what a bossy little cat…" Someone mumbled as the onlookers turned away and left.

"Carla, you didn't have to be so mean."

"Personally, I wouldn't have minded the attention." Chelia replied.

"Well, Wendy," Carla expressed herself in a matter-of-fact tone, "Considering you already have someone in your mind, I certainly can't let those dirty males get their hands on you, can I?"

Carla!

"Ooh, you love someone, don't you Wendy?"

Oh great, the beans were spilled. After all, I wanted it to be a secret between me and Carla only. However, I guess that secrets were never meant to be kept forever, as I had already confirmed with Mirajane earlier during the day.

I nodded. Chelia's face brightened with glee, but then, her face fell almost as quickly.

"What's wrong, Chelia?"

I have never seen my friend so distraught before. It was as though she were about to cry. I had always known Chelia Blendy as a bright, optimistic girl who knew what was in front of her, never afraid to take on her problems head on. Seeing this side of her made me feel uneasy.

"I just… I don't know… This might be weird-sounding and all…"

"There there Chelia, Wendy and I are your friends." Carla said. "You can consult with us on any topic, we won't find it weird or anything."

"That's right," I added. "I promise you that I won't laugh at whatever you'll tell us. You can bet my life savings on that." Smiling, I put my arm around Chelia, just as how she did with me ever since. I was going to be the older sister now, and it made me feel reassuring and confident, given that it was Chelia who often comforted me whenever I was feeling sad.

"Ok, alright…" Chelia wiped back a tear as she prepared to give us her story.

"It was 2 years ago. I had finally become of age then, and it was such a big thing for me. I felt that world was supposed to revolve around me, as it was my special day. Sorry if I'm coming off as selfish…"

"No, no, no, carry on, we won't judge you." I encouraged her. Chelia smiled and nodded.

"Lamia Scale was prepared to host such a huge party for me. There was no way anyone was going to keep it a secret from me, as nobody could keep quiet about it. Heck, Toby Horhorta was the worst when it came to secrets."

"Anyways," Chelia continued as the three of us laughed at the idea of Toby letting the secret slip. "Even my cousin Sherry had decided to come back to celebrate, and it couldn't have been better than that. However, there was only one person who couldn't make it to the festivities, one person who I got to know and get close to over the course of my life."

"I mean, he chose to go take an S-Class mission over my birthday! What was that all about! I had never felt so angry, I just couldn't handle it. And you know I told him before I left?"

I didn't need to guess where this was going, since I was facing a similar problem myself.

"That I was in love with him. I was in love with Lyon Vastia."

There was a long moment of silence. Neither of us said anything.

"Ever since then, I was never able to look at him the same way ever again. He never replied to my confession, and I never decided to bring it up again. I mean, we still saw each other and worked together on jobs, but that was about it."

"Go on, laugh. I was blinded by my insight on what love is anyways…"

"No."

"Hm?"

"No I won't laugh!" I shouted a little more forcibly than I had hoped. Grabbing her shoulders, I stared down at Chelia with this newfound ferocity that I was beginning to get accustomed to. "There's nothing wrong with that! You shouldn't give up on what your heart tells you. You may think that it's weird, you may think people will look down on you, but don't give up! Just… Don't give up…"

It was almost the same situation I had with Natsu. It was weird, with him being a full 6 years older than me, and I knew I couldn't act on it back then. But those feelings never really faded, and it was only until recently that I had acknowledged them.

"Wendy…"

"Face your fear. The topic's bound to be brought up again. And next time," I hesitated a little before blurting out, "do it with a smile."

Carla nodded in agreement. Chelia looked at me in amazement. I swear, that must have the most intimidating speech I had ever given; I felt almost as old as Makarov…

"Thanks, I guess I needed that." Chelia replied before reverting to her usual cheery self. "Then I can say without a doubt that the person you love is Natsu, am I right?"

I wasn't going to deny it, as I have told myself over and over again.

"That's right, I'm in love with Natsu Dragneel, and I'm not afraid to admit it, not anymore."

"Then I'll support you," said Chelia.

"And I'll support you as well," I replied.

"And we'll all support each other," Carla added.

It was at this moment in time when I realized yet again how important friends were. They were there to give both moral and emotional support, and no matter what problems there were, I could always turn to them. And because of my friends, my own confidence level had raised a great deal. All that was left was to confirm of Natsu would return those feelings.

"I had a great time today Wendy…"

"So did I, Chelia…"

**A/N: And another chapter complete! Sorry about the wait everyone!**

**Anyways, in case it hasn't been discovered yet, I've established a NaWen forum and community. You can view the details in my profile.**

**Also, even though I seem to have already established Lolu and Gruvia as side ships in this story, I've recently taken a liking to Graylu, so I'll also have a poll set up debating the matter: keep it the way it is? Or establish Graylu as a thing?**

**As usual, keep those reviews coming in, and thank you!**


	12. Connected

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or any of its characters.**

**The Dragon Slayer Prophecy**

**Chapter 12: Connected**

And just when I thought things were getting better …

Master Makarov called Natsu, Gajeel, and I to his study. Seeing as how this was done after everyone had left the guild hall for the night, I knew this had something to do with the Dragon Slayer Prophecy again. I could only stare at the floor while Makarov placed his stern gaze over us.

"Natsu, Wendy…"

My eyes shot back up once my name had been called while Natsu did the same. Despite Makarov's small stature, the fact that he was glancing down at us from above his desk made me feel a little uneasy. Truly, we hadn't done anything wrong, have we?

"I am well aware of your exploits to the realm of Edolas. Though neither I nor the rest of the guild were conscious during your ordeal, it seemed to have been foretold that you two were to take up this difficult task. And for that, I am glad you both made it back safely."

"Thank you Master," I said as I bowed my head apologetically over and over again. Somehow, I just felt the need to; I still felt as though we may have broken some unforeseen rule. Natsu only nodded. I could tell he was not feeling his old regular self, as if some of the fire in his belly may have dissipated.

Gajeel, on the other hand, looked downright irritated. There was no need for explanation as to why he seemed that way.

"Then tell me old man, if this whole conspiracy theory of yours is supposed to be referred to as "The Dragon Slayer Prophecy", then why the hell was I knocked out cold like the rest of us?" Gajeel blurted out angrily. "Why am I left out of the spotlight?"

"Gajeel, it is not in my power to know or tell you how this prophecy works."

"But you…!"

"SILENCE BRAT!"

Makarov's hand suddenly became gigantic and chopped his desk cleanly in half. The three of us stepped back in shock while we waited for him to regain his composure.

"Trust me, even if I really did know the full contents of this prophecy, I would never have wanted any of you to become a part of it. Prophetic magic isn't all fun and games, and I would much less not have wanted to involve anyone of the guild with this dire situation…"

"Master…"

Makarov breathed a heavy sigh as he rummaged through the remains of his desk, only to pull out that same eerie piece of parchment rolled up into a scroll. He took it over to another desk and laid it out across. Curious as to what exactly made up its contents, the three of us dragon slayers quickly rushed over, in hopes for answers to this whole fiasco.

Only to find that it was just a blank piece of parchment.

"How in the…"

"What gives…"

"IS THIS SOME KIND OF JOKE GRAMPS?" Natsu roared, unable to hold it in any longer. "I'VE WAITED ALL THESE YEARS, AND FINALLY WE HAVE A CLUE AS TO WHERE IGNEEL AND…"

"SERIOUSLY NATSU! DO WE REALLY NEED TO TURN THIS DISCUSSION INTO AN ARGUMENT OF SORTS?" Makarov boomed, but then he stopped and hesitated for a moment. It took only a few seconds to realize that he seemed to be clutching his chest in pain, breathing rather heavily.

"Master, are you…?"

But Makarov held up a hand to signify that he was fine. Staggering a little, he worked his way towards his chair and collapsed into it, sighing in relief.

"Master, we're really sorry, we were…" I started, but I found myself interrupted by Natsu, whose look of shock hadn't backed down yet.

"Wendy, you didn't do anything wrong, I should be the one saying sorry." And without any further moment's notice, he knelt down in front of Makarov, fists plunging into the floor.

"Natsu?"

"Yeah, I know what you're about to say Gramps," Natsu began. "'Why_ the change in heart all of a sudden?'_ Yeah, I get it. But don't let that surprise you anymore."

"Natsu, what is the meaning of this?"

"Look, will you let me please finish?" Natsu glared up into the fearsome, yet confused eyes of Makarov. I noticed Gajeel had seemed to take up a level of control now, no longer angry, but just as confused as I was.

"I know that I'm upset that there ain't any news on where Igneel's whereabouts may be. I'm pretty sure Wendy worries everyday whether or not she'll ever meet Grandeeney again. Even Gajeel has his doubts on Metallicana, but first of all, I want you to know," Natsu paused for a second, stood up so that he now towered over Makarov. "I learned something really important during that trip to Edolas."

_Wait, learned something? _I wondered as I repeated Natsu's words to myself. Curious, I leaned in a little closer to get a gist of what Natsu was about to say.

"Go on Natsu, I'm listening…" Even Makarov seemed a little disgruntled by Natsu's sudden change in attitude.

"No matter what you face in life," Natsu hesitated a little, as if trying to gather his thoughts. "No matter "what you want to accomplish…"

"Isn't this all old news, Salamander?" Gajeel interrupted. "I mean, you always go on about how friendship can get…"

"Shut it, metal face!" Natsu shot back, "Can't you see I'm trying to say something smart for once?"

"Gajeel-san, please," I pleaded. "Give him a chance to speak. And Natsu-san," I turned to the other man in the room, pulling back on his arm. "Let's not get into a fight at this hour; you should know it's not right to."

We looked into each other's eyes. Natsu's eyes glinted a little, as a means of understanding my intentions. Nodding, Natsu turned to face Makarov again, but this time, he took me under his arm.

"Natsu-san, what are you…?"

"Sure, you may all think I'm gonna pull off some speech about friendship again, and I know what I'm about to say is pretty much going to be the same, but…" Natsu tightened his grip around me, causing me to wince a little. "But there's much more to it than that. What I'm trying to say is that as we move on with our lives, things begin to change, maybe for better or for worse, who knows…"

"Look Salamander, just get to the point!"

"HEY!" Natsu started again, but this time it was my turn to tighten my grip on him. I pulled him back, maybe a little too aggressively, and stared him in the eyes once more. I wanted him to be more in control of himself. All these years, I've seen him get into unnecessary fits of rage, and never before have I ever wanted him to learn from all his experiences. It was like looking after family, watching each other's backs while they dealt into trivial matters.

And that's when I felt that strange feeling, as if I could feel what Natsu was feeling as well. He was confused, angry, yet determined to get his message across. It was just like how we were when we fought off Zirconis back in Edolas; hearing each other's thoughts, seeing through the same eyes…

As soon as Natsu's anger finally subsided, we both took a deep breath.

"Master, Gajeel-san, please let Natsu-san continue"

Makarov only nodded. Gajeel leaned back against the wall with his arms crossed.

Natsu continued to amass his thoughts together, trying to formulate what he was about to say next. And I knew, from that moment on, that there was some connection between us…

...

"Whew, who would've thought things would've ended up like that?"

Natsu and I were now walking down through the streets of Magnolia. The moon shone as bright as it ever would, illuminating only the areas of the town that stood out significantly. It was a beautiful sight, a rare viewing pleasure enjoyed by those who had to time to go out on evening strolls.

"But to think that Master was going to announce his retirement…" I replied, scratching my head, pondering over what happened a few moments ago. "I hope it didn't have anything to do with what we said…"

"Nah, I don't think so." Natsu grinned as he placed his arm behind his head as he began to whistle something that was completely off tune.

Natsu basically told Makarov and Gajeel that even if there were friends worth protecting, there comes a time when someone realizes that one among a circle of friends becomes much more than that, and he singlehandedly pointed me out as that person. If that didn't signify something between us, I don't know what he would've meant…

Also, Makarov was going to formally announce his official retirement in a few days time to the whole guild. He added a pointer that prophecy was something not to be taken lightly, and that we three dragon slayers needed to be on alert at all times from now on. That only made me further want to acknowledge that Natsu and I, well I guess by default this also includes Gajeel, that we needed each other for support. If only I could get one doubt out of my mind…

"Natsu-san?"

"Mmhm?"

"Why didn't you mention Lucy-san earlier? Or even Erza-san and Lisanna-san? They're important too you know?"

Natsu looked at me funny, something I've grown used to, but this time, there seemed to be an understanding of sorts. Well, at least I hoped so.

"Yeah, I know. Lucy, Erza, Lisanna, Happy, everyone… heck, even those bastards Gray and Gajeel; they all have a place in here," Natsu thumped his chest with his fist. "Knowing that I can live on in life with them around makes me feel all fired up every day, that I have something to fight for."

"But Wendy, I just feel that you're different. I dunno how to explain this, but…" Natsu's expression suddenly changed from a grin to a look so solemn that I could almost say that this wasn't like Natsu at all. "You just, stand out, you know? I'm sorry if this doesn't make any sense, I don't get it either…"

Natsu's face was turning red. Seeing him like this made me blush a little too. So we were really on the same page after all, were we?

"Natsu-san?"

"You know what Wendy?" Natsu suddenly exclaimed, temporarily taking me out of my reverie. "You should stop being so formal with me. I mean, we've known each other for so long; you don't have to call me that anymore. Actually, you know what…" Natsu grinned apologetically, placing his hands on my shoulders, "I want you to just call me Natsu from now on, that's an order!"

"R..R...Really? Are you sure you're okay with that?"

"Oh, come on! It's not that hard. It's just like, well, you know… like how you call Carla normally! Go on, give it a try!"

"O…O...kay," I nodded. Yet again, I was put on the spot by Natsu's brash antics. To address Natsu as my equal, on even footing, I just couldn't pull myself to do so. Not after 5 years of formalities.

"N…N…Natsu…"

"Huh, I can't hear you!" Natsu mockingly joked. Great, now he's making fun of me.

"Natsu."

"Come on! Louder! You can do better than that!" Natsu was leaning over with the hand cupping one of his ears. This time I couldn't take it anymore.

"NATSU!"

"Haha! See, that wasn't so bad now was it Wen…. Hmm?"

And that's when I did it. I didn't know what made me do it, but I mustered all my courage and did it anyway. For a few seconds, neither of us dared to move a muscle; both of us confused, bewildered, not knowing ourselves for that brief period in time.

We just stood there, basking in Magnolia's moonlight, eerily silent, except of the occasional bird chirp or frog croak, prolonging this same fleeting position and completely ignoring our surroundings.

And then I moved away. Looking at the man in front of me, he bore this extreme expression of shock, as though it was his first ever experience. Well, it was a first for me as well, not knowing how to properly do it and all, but…

It felt good while it lasted, though it was probably something I wouldn't attempt anytime soon, unless…

"I'll see you at the guild tomorrow… Natsu."

And I walked away.

_Wendy Marvell, you idiot! _I cursed myself as I shook my head in frustration. _Of all times, why did you have to make such a stupid decision? Why did you do it? Why?_

If anything was any indication that our feelings were mutual, it was through that sensation, that feeling I had experienced, when Natsu and I were at Makarov's study. I knew I had to act on it. It was like some sort of feral instinct, swelling up inside of me. I wanted to grasp onto it so badly, I let my actions get the better of me. If only I had done it better…

I should've just told him up front. I mean, that was what speech was for, right? I could've just told him first, and if he agreed, then it wouldn't have been so awkward. I could still taste it, that sensation, when I decided to go forth and commit the deadly sin, only to feel both satisfaction and regret all at the same time.

"Wendy!"

_I need to go home._ I assured myself. _Get a good night's sleep, come up with an excuse tomorrow, and handle the situation like a composed adult…_

"Wendy!"

_Or maybe some fresh air would do, yeah, that'd be a great idea! I am the Sky Dragon Slayer after all! _I rambled on, completely ignoring everything around me, trying to clear my head.

"STOP!"

And there he was, Natsu Dragneel. He bore the same expression he had a few seconds ago. Only this time, I sensed a surge of determination coming out from him.

"Natsu, I don't…"

And then he blurted out the strangest request I had ever heard coming out from his mouth.

"Would you like to bunk with me and Happy at my house for the night?"

"EEHH!"

**A/N: Well, here we are! First of all, I apologize for not being able to update any sooner. You know, the usual: school, work, family... you get the idea. So, how did you like the chapter? Surprised? Excited for more? Hopefully I can get back to updating on a regular basis, but I can't guarantee that. Remember to leave your kind reviews after reading, and thanks for dropping by!**

**Also, I guess I'm still recruiting moderators for this new NaWen fanfiction community I started a few months ago? Anyone who can keep up to date with looking for new NaWen stories out there, please PM me if you're interested! There's also a forum! I would like to see if anyone is interested in discussing anything NaWen related. Details are on my profile page...**


	13. Closing the Gap

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or any of its characters.**

**The Dragon Slayer Prophecy**

**Chapter 13: Closing the Gap**

"Well, this is it…"

I remember being inside Natsu's house on several occasions. However, those usually occurred whenever I was accompanied by others. The fact that I decided to come here of all places, and at night even, continued to baffle me as I walked into the little cottage.

Everything was the same as how it was since my last visit; clothes were scattered across the hardwood floor, dishes were stacked in a disordered array near the sink; it was chaotic to say the least.

Natsu seemed to have caught a glimpse of my less-than-satisfied face, as he hurried inside and started pushing his clothes into huge piles. "Sorry you had to see all of this, I never expected to invite someone over today, so…"

Nevertheless, I gently stopped him in his tracks, picked up one of his spare vests, folded it as neatly as I could, before placing it in the corner of the room.

"Wendy, you didn't have to do that."

"And you still have a lot to learn when it comes to keeping a place tidy." I placed my hands on my hips as I stared Natsu down; he was looking more and more like a child as he scratched his head with an awkward look on his face. "Well, can't be helped, can it? Here, let me show you how it's done."

Picking up another one of his vests with one hand, I grabbed Natsu's arm with the other and guided him through the process that was folding clothes. It took several tries, me having to demonstrate while Natsu tried to imitate my movements, before he was able to get the hang of it. Pretty soon, all of Natsu's clothes were set aside in neat piles at the corner of the room.

"Whew, I never thought I'd see the day." Natsu grinned as he admired his work. "I usually never this worked up over cleaning up around here, so thanks for teaching me how."

"Don't mention it." I felt my face burn up a little. Any praise from Natsu was enough to make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

"Now that I think of it, you must be hungry, right?" Natsu's stomach growled. "Heh, guess the old gut can't deny that neither of us had dinner yet, huh?"

"No, it's okay Natsu, I'm not really feeling that hungry…"

Gurgle.

Great. I guess this is what happens when you try to deny hunger. I looked up in embarrassment as Natsu let out a small laugh.

"No worries, I'll go fetch us something. There might be some wild boar lurking out there somewhere. I'll head out and go look for some. Don't you go anywhere!"

And Natsu was gone in a flash, leaving me in his house with barely any lighting.

Well, something had to be done about this place, right? Looking around, I managed to find several candles lying on the counter. Picking up a few wooden splinters off the floor, I used them as makeshift matches as I lit the candles, placing them in different areas to illuminate the house.

Making my way over to the sink, I noticed that it was filled with some sort of revolting, well, I couldn't have explained what it was. Without further ado, I used my sky magic to clear up whatever gunk was in there, and proceeded to wash the dishes. To me, this was a fairly simple task, provided that I had already started helping out Mirajane back at the bar. In no time, the dishes were cleaned and set aside, leaving me with some extra time to spare.

"Wendy? Is that you?"

I jumped a little before I realized that Happy also lived here, and sure enough, he was standing by a doorway, rubbing his eyes.

"Hello Happy, sorry about my late night intrusion."

"Aye," Happy let out a big yawn as he stretched out his paws. "So, what brings you here… oh…"

"Happy, is something wrong?" However, I didn't need to know that, as a mischievous grin that was all too familiar spread across the blue Exceed's face.

"You liiiike him, don't you?"

I knew from experience how much of a trickster Happy was, so whatever I was about to say next would likely wipe that smile off his face.

"Of course I do, what are you talking about?"

"Eh? EEEEEHHHHH!"

I grinned as I saw the disbelief in his face. "Didn't expect that, did you?"

"But, how? What happened?" Happy seemed to be frantic about something, as he was soon flying around the house like crazy. "Natsu would never, I mean, this is so not real…"

"It's okay Happy, if you don't want it to be me, then I understand…"

"No, no, I didn't mean it like that! I just…" Happy landed beside me and placed a paw under his chin, deep in thought.

"Is something wrong Happy?"

"I would never think in all my life that Natsu would ever feel like that towards anyone," Happy paced back and forth for a bit. "I know I'm a joker when it comes to these things, but I was never serious about it."

"But now, I think that's going to change," I told him with a renewed sense of confidence. "I want to get to know Natsu a bit more, and coming here tonight is the first step in doing so."

Happy continued to stare at me in shock, as if he still didn't believe me. I couldn't blame him; he was usually the one to not take anything seriously, and considering the fact that I had caught him in a bad moment, I'd say it was an interesting change of pace.

"So, will you be coming here from now on?"

"I…"

"Hey, I'm back!" Natsu stormed into the house, looking pretty cheerful with what looked like a dead pig over his shoulder. "I never thought I'd been able to find any at this hour and, oh…" He noticed that Happy was awake. " Happy, what're you doing up at this hour buddy?"

The atmosphere turned a little tense for some reason. Happy shifted his gaze from me to Natsu, still bearing that same look of disbelief and I wondered what could possibly have caused this chain of events.

"Natsu…" Happy now looked like he was about to cry.

"Hey buddy, what's wrong?" Natsu dropped the boar and knelt before the blue Exceed. I watched on as choked back a few sobs, trying to find the right thing to say.

"You're going to leave me soon, aren't you?"

"Huh? What makes you say that?"

"You're going to start living with Wendy, and pretty soon you'll not want to have me around anymore…"

Where was this coming from all of a sudden? I looked to Natsu for some assurance, only to find that he was just as confused as I was.

"You're both going to fall in love, have a family, and then you won't have any room for me! I don't want that! I want to stay with you forever Natsu!"

I hadn't expected this to happen. Here I was, proclaiming that Natsu and I were going to end up together, not even considering how Happy, Natsu's lifelong partner, was going to feel about it. Guilt and shame had washed over me without warning as I could only watch Happy, bawling his eyes out, momentarily unable to do anything about it.

And that was when Natsu decided to take action, pulling me out of my own remorse. He grabbed my hand reassuringly and brought me towards the sobbing Happy.

"Hey buddy, are you telling me that you don't like Wendy?"

"No," Happy sniffed a little. "I didn't mean it like that…"

"Then it'll be alright that Wendy lives with us from now on, right?"

Wait, hold on a moment. Was Natsu really going to go through with this? I was already surprised enough that he invited me over for the night, but to actually live with him? Like a married couple? Even I hadn't thought that far ahead!

"Natsu, what are you…?"

"I've decided today, no, probably for a while now, that Wendy was someone important to me, just like how you and I are." Natsu then took Happy's paw and brought it together with his and my own hands. "But that doesn't mean that you don't mean anything to me Happy. We're all important; to each other, to our friends, to the guild, so please, let's all get together alright?"

Natsu gazed into Happy's eyes pleadingly, as though he really wanted to go through with this. While I was at a loss for words, Happy seemed to have calmed down a little. In fact, he was smiling now; not that mischievous one, but one of understanding and contentedness. He then turned to me, smiles and all, before leaping up to my chest and hugging me as hard as he could.

"Happy!"

"I'm sorry Wendy, I didn't mean to make you feel upset or anything, I just…"

I looked to Natsu for advice, only for him to nod and give me a "just go with it kind of look". Knowing what to do next, I returned his hug, gently stroking the Exceed's head as I allowed him to rub his face against mine.

"No no, I'm at fault for suddenly coming in on you like that. It's true that I like Natsu, but that doesn't mean that he'll forget about you. After all, friendships always come first, right?"

Happy looked up into my eyes, his eyes all puffy and red.

"Aye sir!"

….

A couple of moments had passed. I had a hand in helping prepare the boar for dinner, and the three of us ate it together in silence, before Happy dozed off, unable to stay awake much longer. Natsu and I tucked him into his hammock, before heading off towards the living quarters, settling into Natsu's moth-eaten sofa.

Natsu let out a huge yawn. There was no doubt that he was exhausted as well. However, I wanted to clarify a few things before turning in for the night. After all, it was I who made the advance on him only moments ago.

"Natsu?"

"Yeah, what's up Wendy?"

"You're not mad at me, are you?"

"Huh? Where's this coming from all of a sudden?"

I shifted a little, uncomfortable in my current position. It felt like I had caused enough trouble for one night. However, I had already come this far into it; there was no turning back.

"I mean, suddenly kissing you out of the blue like that." I was beginning to feel embarrassed, regretting it a little. "The least I could've done was ask if you had a girlfriend or not before doing all that…"

"So that's what it all meant, huh?"

"Yes, I mean, no, I mean, oh, I don't know what I'm saying anymore…" I buried my face into my hands, unable to hide how flustered I was. I thought that by taking action, everything would've fell into place. However, such irrational thought was not to come without consequence, or so Carla had told me several times already.

"That you actually, what was that word again? Love me?"

I nodded.

"And that action you did, that kiss, meant that you actually love me?"

I nodded again.

"I never would've thought, man…."

I uncovered my face just to sneak a peek at Natsu, a downcast, yet melancholic expression strewn across his face. It was only fair, as it must've been his first time experiencing something like this. Which reminded me…

"So, do you have a girlfriend or not?"

"Huh? Aren't you it?"

"What? No, I meant, before all of this, I mean, wasn't there someone special to you before I came into your life like this?"

"But with you kissing me, isn't that enough to say that you're my girlfriend?"

There was no reasoning with this person. Once his mind was set on one thing, he wouldn't ever let up on it.

"Then are you sure about this Natsu?" I fidgeted a little, a bit unsure of what to say next. "You know, with me being your girlfriend and all? You do know what being boyfriend and girlfriend means right?"

"I think so…" Natsu scratched his head in thought. "It's when a guy and a girl come together and declare themselves to be friends right?"

I giggled. There was no one quite like him; turning a hugely embarrassing moment into something of a joke. Nevertheless, I was able to use this brief moment of misunderstanding to muster up my own courage once more.

Natsu. I like you the way you are. Never change.

"Natsu, what I meant to say was, I lo…"

All of a sudden, I had caught onto this peculiar scent. Startled, I leapt into the air, trying desperately to catch onto that smell. It was something I was overly familiar with, yet I was unsure of what it was exactly. As if my thoughts were clouded by feral instincts, I continued my search, trying to determine the location of the scent.

"Wendy, what're you…?"

However, I ignored him as I continued to prowl around his little cottage, letting my draconic senses completely take control over me as I continued to hunt down wherever that scent was coming from. It was like a distant memory; something I had long forgotten, but had wanted answers to for a long time now.

"Wendy, hey, what's gotten into you?"

Natsu was shaking me by my shoulders, trying to snap some sense into me, but I was too overcome by this strange sensation. I resisted, only for him to pull onto me harder. Unable to control myself, I lashed out at Natsu, knocking us both over as we both were sent flying into what led to another room.

"Ow! What was that for Wendy!"

"Huh?"

I regained control of myself and looked around. It was like a storage shed of sorts, filled with all sorts of random items. While many of these items seemed peculiar in their own way, only one of them had caught my eye. Pushing myself away from Natsu, I made my way towards it, drawn by its power and its warmth. I let a tear slip down my face as I recognized what the item was.

It was a feather. Not just any feather, but…..

"Natsu, where did you get this?"

"Um, well, this is…."

"Please, you have to tell me."

Natsu fidgeted a little, as though this issue was a little personal for his own taste. Seeing his discomfort, I decided not to push him any further.

"Okay then, I understand if you don't want to."

"Years ago, while I was training with Igneel, a certain someone gave this to me as a gift; as a promise that we would see each other again. To this day, I've kept it with me in hopes that I'll remember who she was. It was hard enough trying to figure out who it was dammit, yet it seems as though….."

And a memory, a long-forgotten memory that had suppressed itself, finally began to resurface.

**A/N: And another chapter done! The 13th chapter to be exact...0.0**

**Anyways, keep your thoughtful reviews coming in, and I'll see you next time!**


	14. Memory Long Forgotten

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or any of its characters.**

**The Dragon Slayer Prophecy**

**Chapter 14: Memory Long Forgotten**

_"__Grandeeney? Grandeeney!"_

_A little girl was roaming alone in the vast open plain. Apparently she was lost, having wandered off aimlessly until she realized that her guardian was missing. Crying, she walked around in circles, all while holding onto what looked like a gigantic blue feather._

_Her guardian had told her to stay put, lest she got herself into any sort of trouble. However, the little girl's naturally curious mind got the better of her; a butterfly she had never seen before had flown right into her field of vision, and she had chased after it._

_She didn't know how long she had been chasing the little creature for, and soon enough, she found herself alone, her foster parent Grandeeney nowhere in sight. _

_The little girl didn't know what to do in this situation. Throughout her life so far, she had always been at Grandeeney's side, almost never letting go her soft, yet majestic feathers… until just a few moments ago._

_Whatever would she do? She had never been out in the open on her own before. She had never left the little den she and Grandeeney had called home, only doing so during the trips Grandeeney had taken her on. And it was during one of these trips that the two of them had gotten separated._

_Normally, whenever the girl cried, Grandeeney had always come to her aid, comforting her in any way possible. Just her presence was enough for her to feel at ease, and not a single thing could bother her little mind while Grandeeney was around._

_This time though, Grandeeney was not around. No amount of crying or wailing was going to get Grandeeney's attention. Nevertheless, the girl continued to do so, not knowing what else to do. She had never been alone all her life, and that in itself was really frightening to her._

_THUD!_

_"__Hm?" The little girl temporarily stopped her little crying streak once she heard that sound. _

_"__GRAGH!"_

_Now that was something that the girl had not grown accustomed to. What in the world was making that racket? Her curiosity was beginning to stir, yet a certain sense of fear had slipped upon her._

_More thuds, followed by another angry outburst. Something was definitely wrong here. As afraid as she was, the girl decided to muster up her courage and head down the hill from where the sounds were coming from. Cautiously, she walked down that hill; step by step, until she could see what the commotion was about._

_There was a rock. A rather large one, probably ten times the size of the little boy who was sitting beside it. How odd._

_And that's when it happened again. The little boy got up onto his feet and tried the punch the rock, only for the latter to come off undamaged. Whatever he was trying to do, he didn't seem to have achieved what he set out to do, and it was getting him even more frustrated._

_"__STUPID ROCK! EAT THIS! AND THAT! FIRE DRAGON'S IRON FIST!"_

_One after another, the little boy traded blows with this seemingly harmless rock. Each and every time, the boy gave his all into his punches, only the rock to remain unscathed. It was infuriating, well, at least to the boy anyway._

_It was quite the spectacle. Wanting the get an even closer look, the girl broke into a little jog, coming down the hill as the boy continued to hit the rock, unaware of the girl's presence. That was until….._

_BLAM!_

_The boy unknowingly punched the girl in the face, causing her to fall over._

_Already upset at the fact that she couldn't find her foster parent anywhere, the girl cried even harder than before, sobbing while rubbing the spot where the boy hit her. However, this only confused the boy even more._

_"__Who the heck are you? Where did you come from?"_

_This must be one of those mean people Grandeeney told me about, the girl thought as the boy cautiously approached her. I can't believe I'm actually meeting one right now…_

_"__Hey! I asked you a question!"_

_Seeing the boy's hot-headedness, the girl became scared of him. Grandeeney had told her that the best thing to do when encountering a mean person was simply to stay away from them. She didn't want to have to deal with all the bad things these people did._

_"__S-s-stay away from m-m-me!" The girl stammered._

_"__What? All I did was bop you a little in the face. Why do I have to stay away from you?"_

_That did it. This mean boy wasn't going to become any nicer after three consecutive rude remarks. The girl picked herself up and started to run._

_"__Wait up! I'm not done with you!"_

_What's wrong with this boy? The girl continued to run as fast as her legs could carry her, while she heard the boy's footsteps in close proximity. He isn't going to try and hurt me, is he?_

_"__You still haven't answered my question yet!"_

_The girl broke into a sprint, clearly frightened of the little monstrosity that was giving chase. Of all times to have been lost, it had to be now. This was the girl's first ever dangerous encounter, yet Grandeeney wasn't there to guide her._

_She felt that she had been running for a very long time now. She began to tire herself out, yet she continued to run; as far away as possible from that little boy. Soon enough, he could no longer be heard, and the girl began to slow down._

_Breathing heavily, the girl collapsed on the field where she found herself in. A mixture of emotions had riled up inside of her; fear, sadness, anger. She had never experienced all three at once, yet they all seemed to be there. The girl lay there, unaware of the subtle change of scenery that was happening around her….._

_Clouds seemed to be forming around her; a sense of strange, yet powerful energy began amassing at the girl's location….._

_"__HELP!"_

_The girl snapped back from her trance while her surroundings shifted back to what they were a few moments ago. Perking up her ears a little, the girl stood up and heard the sound again, this time a little louder than before._

_It was the little mean boy again._

_The girl could tell by the distinct tone of the boy's voice. She could also tell by the way he smelled; as though he hadn't taken a bath for quite some time. It was definitely him._

_"__HELP ME IGNEEL!"_

_"__Igneel?" The girl placed her hand on her chin. Did she really want the help this mean little boy who tried to scare her? On one hand, the boy startled her with the way he acted. On the other hand, the girl felt bad if she were to ignore someone's plea for help. After all, Grandeeney had always told her that to become a nice girl, she had to help others._

_Using her nose as a guide, the girl made her way to the edge of a cliff and sure enough, the boy was dangling off of it, holding on for dear life._

_The girl did not hesitate any further. Lying low, she crawled out as far as she could over the edge and stretched out her hand._

_"__Here! I'll help you!"_

_"__Huh?" The boy looked up and sure enough, it was the same girl he tried to talk to earlier. Why she came back after running away from him was still a mystery to him._

_"__Take my hand!"_

_"__I can do this myself!" The boy tried to grab the nearest ledge, but his arms fell short and his hand slipped a little, forcing him back to the ledge he was hanging off of._

_"__No! I can help you! Just take my hand!"_

_Why does she want to help me so bad? The boy thought to himself. Sure, he had called for help, hoping that his foster father Igneel would come by. Instead, he was face to face with this girl he had not seen in his life. He mostly wanted to be able to do things on his own, as a way of proving himself to Igneel, but in this case…_

_"__I-I-I'm I'm slipping!"_

_"__Just take my hand! Please!"_

_There was no avoiding it. Either that or fall down a good distance into the gorge. The boy grabbed the girl's hand, and with all her might the girl managed to pull him over the ledge._

_The two children took their time to catch their breaths, exhausted and barely conscious. It took a while for them to finally calm down, before sitting upright and looking each other in the eye._

_"__Um, I, um…"_

_"__You should say 'thank you'."_

_"__Huh?"_

_The girl picked up a stick she found and wrote the words in the dirt. "'Thank you'. T-H-A-N-K, Y-O-U. Grandeeney tells me to say this if someone helps you."_

_The boy scratched his head, trying to decipher the words in the ground._

_"__Um, thank… you?"_

_"__That's right." The girl smiled a little. "Now you also have to say 'sorry'."_

_"__What? What did I do wrong?"_

_"__Grandeeney says…"_

_"__I don't care what Grandeeney says!" The boy suddenly blurted out, which caught the girl by surprise. Seeing that she was about to cry again, the boy began to panic._

_"__Alright, alright! I'm sorry!" _

_Having heard that, the girl collected herself before turning to face the boy again, his face red from a mixture of anger and embarrassment. Was it really that hard to talk to this boy? Is he really a mean person? The girl was second guessing herself in regards to the boy. Sure, Grandeeney talked about there being mean people in the world, but that didn't mean that everyone out there was mean._

_"__So who is this Grandeeney anyway?" The boy was beginning to wonder why the girl talked about that person in such high regard. Something sounded off each time the girl mentioned the name._

_"__Grandeeney's a dragon and she is my mommy!"_

_The boy froze. "Dragon, you say? So does that mean you're…"_

_"__Yes, I'm a dragon slayer!" The girl beamed, apparently proud of what she claimed to be._

_The boy couldn't believe it. And here he thought he was the only dragon slayer, and that Igneel was the only dragon out there. A dragon slayer…_

_"__Then fight me!" The boy clenched his fists and started swinging them wildly. "I'm a dragon slayer too you know?"_

_"__Eh?" The girl backed off slowly as the boy approached her. Fight? Since when does a dragon slayer fight? Plus, Grandeeney had only taught her healing magic. Isn't that what a dragon slayer is supposed to be good at?_

_"__Get ready, here I come!"_

_Before the girl had a chance to react, the boy leaped out at her, fists flailing. Fortunately, she ducked in the nick of time, which caused the boy to fly over her head, landing in a heap just about a meter away._

_"__Ow…."_

_It was clear that the boy was in no condition to fight. Having repeatedly dealing blows between a rock and a hard place had taken its toll on him, rendering him senseless._

_The girl, though cautious at first, stared at the boy in pity. Here he was, all angry and crazy and messed up. Yet, the girl felt the need to help him up, despite the troubles he caused her today. Without further ado, she knelt down beside the boy._

_"__Please, hold still."_

_She placed her palms over the boy's body. Recalling Grandeeney's teachings, the girl concentrated on her surroundings: the calm tranquil air that occupied the vast sky. Using it as reference, she began to channel the air, converting it into clean energy, to which she transferred to her palms. Almost instantly, the scars that were littered all over the boy began to disappear, revealing fresh, healthy-looking skin._

_What was this sensation? The boy felt the energy course through his body, effectively easing up the pain that he experienced during the day. He was re-energized, as if it were just the beginning of a new day. Just how was she able to do it?_

_"__Um, thank you?"_

_"__That's right, thank you." The girl smiled a genuine smile this time. This boy, however he may have acted around her a few moments ago, wasn't mean at all. Maybe he was just confused, but now, the girl was beginning to feel more comfortable around him._

_But was this being a dragon slayer was really about? Grandeeney had only taught her healing magic, yet sitting across from her was another dragon slayer who thought that it was all about fighting. What did it really mean to be a dragon slayer?_

_"__I'm actually a sky dragon slayer." The girl blurted out. "I don't know anything about fighting…"_

_"__Oh?" The boy looked at her strangely. This was a first for him, hearing about a "sky" dragon slayer. After all, didn't dragons spew fire or whatnot?_

_"__And I'm a fire dragon slayer. Here, take a look."_

_The boy put out his hand in front of him for the girl to look. He mustered up a bit of concentration and in a manner of seconds, his hand was ablaze. This at first startled the girl a little, but with some effort, she managed to hold herself together. Turning back to face the flame, the girl eventually took a liking to it; warm, cozy, and inviting….._

_It didn't take very long for the two become fast friends, despite the initial misgivings. The girl realized that she was mistaken about the boy being mean, while the boy realized that not all people were meant to fight. In fact, they were so mistaken about the outside world that they hadn't realized that neither of their foster parents was within their vicinities. _

_Several hours had passed since their initial meeting. Telling stories of each other's adventures with their respective dragon, the two children realized that they were getting kind of fond with one another. Besides their dragons, they found that this new bond that they made was one to be cherished, lest they be separated….._

_"__And then, Igneel sent me flying out of the cave, and I ended up hanging off of that tree that someone had planted there a few weeks ago."_

_"__Were you okay after that though? Igneel sounded pretty mad back there…"_

_"__Heh, it was nothing. Igneel and I always make it up with each other, just like how I did with you earlier today."_

_"__Yes, that's right. Grandeeney tells me it's nice for people to apologize to each other if they've done mean things to each other."_

_"__This Grandeeney you talk about, she seems to be a nice dragon, just like you."_

_"__Yes, she is, but you seem nice as well….."_

_"__Me? Well, I don't get that a lot, but….."_

_An awkward silence filled the air as the two children looked away from each other briefly. There just seemed to be something about this new bond they made that made them feel… different. It was unlike when they were alone with either Igneel or Grandeeney, and certainly not like when they interacted with other humans occasionally. _

_"__Hey, why don't we be friends or something?"_

_"__Huh? Friends?"_

_"__Yeah," the boy scratched his head in thought. "I think it's something like this: two people come to like each other so much that they call each other, "friends", or something…"_

_"__Hmm…" The girl pondered such an idea. It didn't sound that bad. After all, maybe she was beginning to like this boy in that way._

_"__Then why don't we make a promise?"_

_"__Huh? Why's that?"_

_"__I'm pretty sure that once our dragons find us, we won't be able to see each other for some time." The girl's face fell once she realized what Grandeeney might do if she'd been found. She already made sure that interaction with anyone in the outside world was limited, and the girl's meeting with this boy was no exception._

_Taking out the feather she had been holding on to these past few hours, the girl handed it over to the boy._

_"__Huh? What's this?"_

_"__Before you take this," the girl took a deep breath before continuing. "Promise me that we'll be able to see each other again. Please?"_

_"__But of course we'll see each other again! What makes you say that?"_

_"__Just promise me!"_

_"__I… um…" The boy face turned beet red for some reason, something he'd never thought he'd feel at any point in his life. "Well… I… just give me a sec…."_

_After much pacing back and forth, the boy had this to say._

_"__I, Natsu Dragneel, promise you, that one day, the both of us will see each other again, and by then, we will still be friends! There! How about that! Like the way it sounds?"_

_The girl was taken aback for a second. What was the point of making such a big deal over this? Thinking of how silly this all sounded, she began to giggle._

_"__Natsu? That's a cute name…"_

_"__Cute?" The boy became even more confused now, rolling around on the floor in frustration, only to make the girl laugh even harder. When he finally came to, he stood up, took a deep breath, and placed his hands on the girl's shoulders. It was now the girl's turn to feel embarrassed._

_"__So, what's your name then?"_

_"__I… my name is Wendy…."_

_"__Wendy, huh? I'll remember that."_

_…__._

"Wendy?"

"Natsu?"

So we did know each other after all. We had met all those years ago, still children at the time, with a promise to see each other again…..

It was then I felt this huge surge of energy course through my body. I felt everything change, both physically and mentally, as I was lifted up into the air by a strange force. Little by little, I felt myself grow a little, all while a new sense of power filled up inside me, ready to be unleashed at will.

_"__My dear Wendy, I congratulate you on making it this far. Because of this, I now release the seal that I had placed upon you to suppress your power. The next step in the prophecy will proceed from here. Be careful. I'm rooting for you…"_

"Grandeeney?"

**A/N: Yeah, I was hoping that some point in the manga, Mashima would reveal that Natsu and Wendy did have some sort of history together. Although it was only teased, I wish that it'll go into detail soon... *crosses fingers***

**And remember, reviews are appreciated. Thank you!**


	15. Change

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or any of it's characters.**

**The Dragon Slayer Prophecy**

**Chapter 15: Change**

"Must we really do this?"

"Of course! We can't hide it anyway."

"But this is too…"

"Come on already!"

Natsu and I were walking hand in hand down the streets of Magnolia; Happy having gone on ahead of us. The rays of the early morning sun illuminated our path as we made our way to the guild. All seemed to be normal; shops opened up for the day, parents sending their children off to school, and people were out and about with whatever errands they had to run. However, there was one abnormality. And it had nothing to do with my surroundings.

Having woken up from that trance I was put into last night, I realized that I had changed both physically and mentally. Along with the new level of power I seemed to have unlocked, I was bestowed upon a new bodily form that I was only getting used to. Gaining several inches in height, I was as tall as Natsu, able to look him in the eye as an equal.

I was also aware that some parts of my body were much more endowed than I was comfortable with. Other than just being embarrassed by them, I found it a little hard to move around in this new body. It was as though I had aged a few years all at once, thus there was this time-age disconnect that I had to adapt to…..

Speaking of age, I recalled that memory I shared with Natsu all those years ago. Even though we were young back then, I could tell that he was about the same age as I was. The thought of me being held back several years was still a little too much for my mind to handle. However, I was more concerned about how Grandeeney was able to do it. I remembered it being along the lines of suppressing my power, or something like that.

Nevertheless, Natsu made me agree to tell the whole guild about our recently confirmed relationship. Maybe it was such a huge revelation for him to have remembered me after such a long time, or maybe it was the thought of having a girlfriend that kept him on his toes. Either way, Natsu was so insistent on letting people in on the news that I had to acknowledge it. Even I had the teeniest urge to spread the word; people were bound to find out sooner or later.

As we continued to walk, several citizens directed their gazes at us, particularly at me. Despite being used to it now, I couldn't help but feel a little disconcerted at the way they looked at me.

"Isn't that the Salamander of Fairy Tail?"

"I wonder what he's so excited about?"

"Who's that walking with him?"

"She's a hottie, that's for sure!"

Well, I guess that was to be expected; there was no way any ordinary person would suspect the sweet 18-year old Wendy Marvell having turned into a 24-year old woman over the course of one night. Never mind that, the biggest challenge today was to face the whole guild and try to explain the whole ordeal.

Still, it was a pleasant experience to have known Natsu for this long. Even if it was only a brief encounter, it was as though our paths had been entwined that day, bringing us back together during that fateful battle against the Oracion Seis.

"Natsu?"

"Yeah? What's up?" Natsu stopped momentarily to listen to what I had to say.

"How, after all this time, were we unable recall anything about each other that time we met?"

I wanted a genuine answer from him, emphasized by the matter-of-fact tone I used. Even if I did find happiness from this revelation, I wanted to understand what we failed to see in each other that fateful day. I didn't want to press him too hard, but the thought just occurred and I had to let it out of my system.

Natsu seemed to understand, as his smile faded a little while he pondered the thought. "I really don't know… I'm mean, that was years ago, and all I seemed to know was that I heard your name from somewhere…"

"And was that all you knew? You sure you haven't come across any other people named Wendy since you started out in Fairy Tail?"

"Yeah, sorry, that's all I've got…" Natsu hung his head sheepishly.

I guess I couldn't blame him or myself for the matter. One thing I knew for sure, Grandeeney had a hand in orchestrating this. Whether this had anything to do with the Prophecy, no, this was definitely linked to the Prophecy, whatever it was. I could only assume that Natsu and I had our parts in this, and we should just let things play out for now.

"Don't worry Natsu," I placed my hand under his chin and held it up for him. "The only thing that matters that we now have each other and nothing can ever come in between us!" I surprised myself a little after saying that. My younger self wouldn't have been so bold when it came to matters like this.

Natsu seemed to have cheered up a little. "You've got that right, my girlfriend Wendy!"

"Please, just Wendy is fine."

Chuckling a little to myself, I let Natsu drag me the rest of the way, until we reached the Fairy Tail guild hall. There it was, as tall and majestic as ever, as the pillar that symbolizes the bonds we had as friends, as family…

And as lovers.

Bursting into the guild hall, Natsu made a beeline towards the performance stage while I stayed at the doors, a little too nervous to show myself. Knocking over Gray on the way ("What the hell man!"), he grabbed the nearest lacrima-powered microphone and turned to face the crowd of surprised guildmates.

"Listen up everyone!" Natsu yelled into the microphone, sounding ecstatic, albeit a little deranged. "I have a really big announcement to make!"

"What's he gotten into this time?" Erza questioned amusedly to Cana, who was going by her usual routine of chugging down several kegs of beer.

"Whuzzat Erza?" Cana dropped her keg and looked at her funny, only to just realize that Natsu had taken the spotlight.

"If you wanna know who won last week's fight, it was me, Elfman! Because I'm manly!"

"Shut up! I clearly had your ass handed to that time! You were no match for my hard fists of iron!"

"WHY DON'T BOTH OF YOU JUST CAN IT!"

Natsu roared over the crowd, which startled most people, Gajeel and Elfman included. Once he made sure no one else spoke over him, Natsu continued.

"I really want to say that I'm the happiest in saying about what I'm about to say…"

"Just get on with in flamebrain…" I managed to hear Gray whisper.

"THAT I HAVE A GIRLFRIEND!"

"WWWWHHHHAAAAAAAAATTTTTT!"

The shock was unanimous. Several people gasped out loud while others fell out of their chairs. There were a few "oohs" and "aahs" from the crowd, and the gossip began to pass around the guild hall. Nevertheless, there was no need for that, as the big reveal was just about to…

"AND SHE'S RIGHT THERE!"

Natsu pointed in my direction, and there I was, standing a little awkwardly as I waved to them all. "Good morning everyone!"

"But it can't be…"

"Is that who I think it is?"

"WENDY?!"

It seemed like Natsu and I weren't the only ones to have had a huge revelation these past few days. Everyone stared at me; some awestruck, others outright confused. It was as though I was a stranger to them all, every memory shared with my family at Fairy Tail all faded away from existence. It was cold, unforgiving, and somewhat unwelcoming, yet…

"Wendy, what a beautiful woman you've turned out to be!"

Lucy was the first one to greet me normally, like how she always did. Other than that remark on how I've changed, she didn't seem to be startled in the slightest. In fact, she seemed to be happy to see me, almost as though she was expecting me in this moment.

"Lucy-san…"

But all she did was give me a warm smile and a wink, signalling to me that it was best not to press the matter any further. I realized I could always count on Lucy to relieve me from various stressful situations. She was like a mother figure to me; always there to support me when the time called for it. I just was never able to truly appreciate it until now.

"So what did you do? I've got to know your secret!" Mirajane waltzed in beside us, eyeing me with such a blossoming expression. "Transformation magic? Potion? I've got to know!"

And pretty soon, all female members of the guild were doing circles around me, praising my new appearance while asking for fashion tips at the same time. While I was bombarded with such praise, I seemed to forget the original topic at hand, leaving Natsu hanging on his own on the stage.

"Hey! Hello? Aren't we forgetting something?"

"Yeah, it's called my iron fist in your face!" Gajeel cracked a few knuckles while flexing his neck.

"And I'm not done with you yet pyro-breath!" Gray dusted himself off before removing his shirt.

Natsu squared himself up. "Well, looks like you all are in for a sound beating today!"

"MAN!"

And the male members of the guild began to duke it out… again. However, nobody else bothered to pay them any attention. Even Juvia seemed to have shut Gray out of her mind momentarily to come talk to me. Strangely enough, I was beginning to feel accustomed to all of this attention. I thought back to my adolescent years, in which I would've collapsed out of sheer nervousness. However, all that has changed for the better.

"Wendy Marvell!"

I was so absorbed in chatting with the others that I had totally forgotten about Carla. Yet there she was with her wings spread, facing me with her arms crossed and a frown on her face. The fact that I didn't return to Fairy Hills last night only added to the huge amount of guilt that welled up inside me. What would she say if she found out I spent the night at Natsu's place? We didn't do anything remotely indecent, I swear!

"Carla, look I can explain…"

"There's no need for you to explain anything to me." Carla exclaimed in her usual authoritative tone. "Judging from what I see in front of me, I am fully aware of the situation."

What? How could she know what I went through last night? I already couldn't believe it myself, yet Carla looked as though she knew all along?

And then Carla reached for my hands and held them together in front of me, placing her warm paws on top of them.

"You have grown into the mature lady I hoped you'd turn out to be. For that, I am truly grateful." Carla said with a smile.

I stood there dumbfounded. Usually, Carla would be the one lecturing me about staying up long hours, dressing up properly, addressing people politely, etc. But now, it seemed as though her teachings had culminated into whom I am now. Though her lectures weren't really necessary, I had Carla to thank for who I was now.

"Oh Carla, thank you!" I pulled my best friend into a hug, a little too strong of one for my tastes.

"Okay, I take that back…" Carla managed to say before I realized that I was crushing my little friend. I hastily broke it off and apologized over and over again. I guess some things just don't change.

Carla sighed as she shook her head. "Come now, let's go see what's on the menu for breakfast. I couldn't prepare anything back home because you weren't around."

As the crowd around me subsided, everyone went back to what they were doing, while Carla and I headed over to the bar. Natsu was sitting there, apparently waiting for me, while Mirajane stood behind the counter, smiling as usual.

"So, you finally mustered up the courage to ask him huh?"

"Yeah, but it wasn't without its difficulties…"

It was the truth. Had it not been through the many hardships that we both went through, there was no way that I had been able to tell Natsu how much I liked him. And to think that things ended up just as they were now, it was hard to believe at first. Now, it was a dream come true; a miracle that was spun through the very threads of our life's work.

"What're talkin' about Wendy! You just kinda went up to my face and…"

"Ah!" I quickly rushed over and clasped both hands over Natsu's mouth. "Too much information!"

Mirajane giggled while Carla placed on her forehead. "What am I ever going to do with you? There's no need to be embarrassed about a…"

And I went to do the same thing to her. Why was I so adamant on not bringing up the subject of my first kiss? Nevertheless, Natsu and Carla decided to drop it, and Mirajane nodded in understanding.

"So, what will it be today?" Mirajane asked while bringing up her clipboard.

"Three fire steaks! And make them extra spicy!"

Just the thought of the dish made my mouth water. How odd.

"I would like the same thing, please?"

Carla nearly fell off her chair before straightening herself out. "Seriously?!"

I shrugged. "Well, it doesn't hurt to try new things right?"

Even Mirajane gave me a curious look. Natsu, on the other hand, looked as cheery as ever.

"Alright! I'll bet you'll enjoy every last ounce of that stuff! It's incredible!"

"Yeah, I can't wait!"

I really didn't know what came over me. I mean, that night at Natsu's place, even though he brought over a rather large boar for dinner, I only had a small helping of it. More than half of it went down Natsu's own stomach.

Today was a different story. I suddenly had this huge craving for meat that it was beginning to drive me crazy as I waited for Mirajane to bring up the order. Several minutes later, she came out the back with two huge stacks of steak, both set ablaze with a live, burning flame. It didn't take long for me to come to terms with my own stomach.

"LET'S DIG IN!"

….

"Oh man, that was incredible!"

I rubbed my stomach in satisfaction while Natsu and I both scanned through the request board. It was barely filled up; most flyers here and there were your usual "fetch this, get that" job. It was as though nobody had anything better to do. What happened to all those large scale quests that were worth a lot in reward?

"Come on! Couldn't have Gramps found any more dangerous jobs for us?" Natsu complained, arms crossed with his back against the board. "We're more than capable kicking some serious ass out there!"

"I agree! There ought to be more for us to do around here!" I exclaimed, not even considering the tone of my own voice. I guess I would have been satisfied with a simple fetch quest back then, but now was different. Heck, I was even prepared to take on those S-Class quests that no one dared to embark on.

"Wow, you two sure seem excited today…" Lucy joined in, albeit looking at me a little warily. True, she may have accepted my new appearance, but it looks like Lucy will have to keep up with my newfound energy.

"Yeah, and it hasn't been that long since that S-Class mission Erza made us go on." Gray grumbled. "I still have memories of the chaos that happened back then…"

"Well, as much as I would like to go on another…"

"NO!" Both Gray and Lucy yelled in unison.

"…we'll have to wait for Master to update the board at a later date. However, it seems as though Magnolia has been a lot quieter lately." Erza continued.

"By the way, has anyone seen Master today?" Happy inquired.

That was right. Ever since the big announcement Natsu and I gave this morning, there wasn't the slightest indication that Master Makarov had been there to witness the commotion. I was beginning to worry, as Natsu, Gajeel, and I had left his study last night on somewhat of a bitter note. Not to mention that he was going to announce his retirement soon…

"Yeah Happy," Lucy replied, "Now that you mention it….."

"Well what are we waiting for?" Natsu asked. "Let's barge into his place and ask him about it!"

"Hey! Lizard breath!" Gray called out as Natsu made a dash towards the stairs. "You can't just do that!"

"Wendy! Not you too!" Cara piped up as I followed my boyfriend. As much as I didn't want to disrespect Master, I couldn't contain my own excitement as I pondered on about going on a new adventure with Natsu. My heart wouldn't stop beating excessively as both of us made a beeline for the door.

"Hey Gramps! How about a…."

Silence. Nobody made any sudden moves as we witnessed what lay in front of us. I clasped my hands over my own mouth to prevent myself from crying out, while Natsu's hair stood on an end, eyes bulging.

There was Master Makarov; lying on the floor, eyes wide open, mouth agape, in a pool of his own blood. And standing over top of his body was none other than….

"Loki?"

"Loki-san?"

The celestial spirit smiled eerily at us, eyes glinting behind his glasses. "Welcome to your own nightmare."

And he made a dash straight towards Natsu.

**A/N: So, savage Wendy eh? Before people call this OOC, I guess this will have to be expected. I mean, Wendy can't stay a shy, innocent child forever, right?**

**Also, RIP Makarov (spoiler alert for those who haven't kept up with the manga).**

**How'd you guys like this chapter? Don't forget to leave a friendly review, and thanks for reading!**


	16. New Leads

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or any of its characters.**

**The Dragon Slayer Prophecy**

**Chapter 16: New Leads**

It all happened in a flash.

It was a dull-sounding, yet forceful impact that reverberated across the guild hall. It was a blow so powerful that no regular mage would have been able to shrug it off without sustaining injuries. The echo was so startling that it seemed like everyone had fallen silent for a brief moment.

That was when I realized that I had blocked the attack with my bare hand.

Unbeknownst to me, I had forced myself in between Loki and Natsu, taking in as much of the pain that coursed through my arm as I absorbed the shock of the blow.

"Don't you dare…"

Loki looked appalled. Even if I did deduce that Loki was under some sort of external control, I couldn't dispel the rage that was building up inside of me.

"LAY A FINGER ON MY BOYFRIEND!"

With that being said, I released a blast of sky magic of equal strength from my palm, causing Loki to fly across the hall, crashing into the ramparts.

"DAMN IT! WHAT DID YOU DO TO GRAMPS?" Natsu roared as he took off after Loki, his fists ablaze as he leapt into the air.

But knowing Loki, he wasn't one to back out of a fight when it got serious. Recovering midair, he engaged in hand-to-hand combat with Natsu, both in freefall. It didn't take long for them to collide into the ground, while several guildmates jumped out of the way just in time.

I caught a glimpse of Lucy and Gray rushing over to where Makarov's body lay before I joined in on the current fight. I launched myself at Loki, who had just managed to make some distance between him and Natsu, knocking him down and ferociously slashing at him with my Sky Dragon's Crushing Fangs. It was a sensation I wasn't accustomed to; different than how I usually approached my battle tactics. I continued to let loose, viciously attacking Loki's unprotected body with every fibre of my being…

And I felt myself being launched into the air after a blinding flash of light. Before I could recover my wits, I was on the receiving end of Loki's Regulus Impact, sending me sprawling towards Natsu, whom was trying to follow up. We stumbled against each other, landing in a heap in a corner of the hall.

"Ugh…"

I staggered a little as I stood up, Natsu following suit. I pulled myself into a defensive stance, but Loki made no attempt to approach us. Instead, he laughed at us jeeringly, as an ominous aura began to pour out of his body.

"Loki…" Natsu grumbled as he stepped forward.

"Wait," I held him back as he tried to break into a run. As much as I was upset at this sudden turn of events, I somehow managed to clear my head and make an attempt to analyze the situation.

"Wendy! Let me go! Imma make him pay!"

"Natsu, please." I reverted to my calmer demeanour as Natsu continued pulling against me. Just my voice alone was enough to make him calm down, as Natsu relaxed a little and turned back to gaze at me. He nodded.

"Thank you." Facing Loki again, I gave him a stern look, trying to discern the circumstances. I tiny part of me wanted to lash out at him again, but I willed myself to suppress the urge. I was angry; first for having done that to Master Makarov, second for trying to harm Natsu. Instead of fighting, I opted to negotiate.

"Loki-san, as much as I can't forgive you for what you've done, I need to know what's going on. Tell me, or there will be consequences."

Loki continued to laugh uncontrollably, completely devoid of character. He looked deranged; out of his mind as more of that aura flowed endlessly out of him.

"Consequences? Of course there will be consequences!" Loki spat as paced on the spot. "The Dragons, the Celestial Spirit World, Fiore; all would come to ruin! And you dragon slayers are to blame!"

"But we didn't do anything wrong!" Natsu shouted back, but Loki made a gesture that made it seem like he was trying to ignore him.

"Loki… why?" Lucy appeared behind Loki, with Gray following behind. They had apparently just come out of Makarov's study, with expressions of fear and sorrow shown on their faces. It was clear that Lucy couldn't hold in her tears, which was enough confirmation for one thing.

"No…"

As if Lucy's tears were contagious, my eyes began to water as I clasped my hands over my mouth to choke back a sob. So it really did happen, what we saw a moment ago was real.

Master Makarov was no longer with us anymore.

I fell to my knees while still trying to hold in my tears, but it was useless. After me, one by one, the other members of the guild did the same, mourning the loss of our ever beloved Master. It was too much to bear; it all happened too fast. And worst of all, I couldn't make out any of this. Was this really what was supposed to happen?

I felt something warm and wet drip onto my shoulder along with the palm of a hand on top of my head. Turning to my side, I saw Natsu, tears dripping from his eyes as he grimaced; his eyes fixated on Loki's sneering face.

Seemingly unfazed by our actions, Loki continued to laugh manically, his voice spreading out throughout the guild hall, filling it with a sense of horror and gloom.

"That's right; you have your dragon slayers to blame for the death of your Master! If you'd only told everyone about the prophecy, none of this would've happened!"

"Prophecy?"

"What prophecy?"

Murmurs broke the silence as people began to question his words, all while looking at the scene with Natsu and I facing Loki. Of course no one knew about it; Makarov had made sure of it. But did that mean that that we were in the wrong for not telling anyone about it? Makarov made Natsu and I swear not to mention it to anyone, yet something felt really off about this whole ordeal.

"Wendy," Erza approached the scene. "What on earth is he talking about?"

Silence fell once again as all eyes were fixated on me. What was I to say? I was just as much in the dark as everyone else in the guild. With Makarov being cryptic on the whole case, there really wasn't much I could go off by. And the only events that could've been related to this ordeal were our return to Edolas and the fact that I underwent some sort of growth spurt.

It was then that Natsu made his move.

"Guys!" He hollered at the top of his lungs. "Can't you guys see? Gramps is gone, so why are you all picking on Wendy? I think there's one side of the story that we haven't heard, so I think Loki here should spill it out, you hear?"

"Natsu?"

I looked up towards my boyfriend, his demeanour becoming much grander every second. Every time I found myself in a rough situation, Natsu would always be there to help sort things out. That was the kind of person he was, and I am forever grateful to him.

He glanced back me and gave me a look that told me "hey, I've got this."

I nodded to let him know that I understood. Natsu did a quick look around, and once he saw that everyone had piped down, he cautiously approached Loki.

"So, what've you got to say about all this?"

Loki seemed to have calmed down, but something was still off about him. Now that I had thought about it, I did realize that he was acting strangely ever since his sudden appearance in the guild not too long ago. He did mention something about dragons, and the fact that he cannot go back to the Celestial Spirit World…

Something didn't seem right. Lucy wasn't able to summon her spirits, yet Loki had taken on his Celestial Spirit form. He attacked us earlier, all while he was alone in the Master's study…

"Natsu! Wait!"

It was too late. Just seconds after my senses kicked in, Loki had grabbed onto Natsu, and they both disappeared into thin air.

After the smoke had died down, neither Natsu nor Loki was anywhere to be seen. I couldn't feel their presence; it was an unsettling feeling.

"Natsu…"

I began to panic. My whole body was trembling. Visions from my nightmare began to zoom through my eyes, reminding me of the horrors that I tried to put behind me.

"NATSU!"

I was beginning to lose sense of myself. I didn't know what was happening; it was all too sudden. What could Loki have done to Natsu? What if he'll end up dead like Makarov? What if I'll never see him again? Negative emotions continued to cloud my mind from forming rational thoughts, as all I could think of was the status of my loved one.

I was cold. Fear, anger, sorrow; all of those had taken precedence over my other emotions. I sensed some people backing away from me as some peculiar kind of magical energy began swirling around me. What cowardly insects….

I screamed. I felt this strange power flow right into me; helping me channel the negative emotions into huge disarray within this vessel I call a body. If there was something, someone I could use to unleash this at…

"Wendy! Get a hold of yourself!" I heard Carla cry out.

"It's not over yet! We can still save that flamehead!"

"Wendy, please stop, you're scaring me…" Happy whimpered.

"Wendy?"

"WENDY!"

"Wendy."

I felt a pair of arms around me. It was a familiar feeling, complete with the scent of someone I grew close to. Looking behind me, I saw Lucy hugging me from behind. Her face was contorted with sorrow and rage, just like how I felt now. The difference was that she was trying to hold it in, as if trying to suppress it.

"You're not alone. We can do it together. We can save Natsu."

That seemed to snap me back into reality. All the negative energy I had accumulated dissipated at once. I collapsed in Lucy's arms, having lost consciousness in the process…

….

"Hm?"

I woke up to find myself in the infirmary. Having got a sense of what happened just moments ago, I startled myself by jumping out of the bed was just about to make it for the doorway when...

"Wendy!"

Porlyusica was sitting by my bedside, just as startled as I was, apparently drenched as I may have knocked over a pitcher of water in my desperate attempt to leave.

"I'm so sorry!"

I rushed over to her while grabbing a nearby towel and tried to wipe her off. "I didn't know you were there, and I…"

"It's alright child," Porlyusica said in her most convincing tone. And by convincing, I mean, she sounded exactly like Grandeeney.

I looked up at her face. She wasn't smiling, nor was she visibly upset. Nevertheless, she carried this disposition of grandeur that I could only affiliate with that of Grandeeney's. It was nostalgic in a sense; it was like I had gone back in time, back when I was child, back when I was under Grandeeney's care.

"Now, that you're awake, follow me."

My moment of peace was cut short all of a sudden by Porlyusica standing up and briskly walking over to a nearby door. I stood there momentarily, dumbfounded.

"Hurry!"

"Oh, right," I snapped out of my stupor and followed her through the door.

Once inside, I noticed that we weren't the only ones here. In front of me was Lucy, Gray, Erza, Happy, Carla, Gajeel, and Pantherlily; all who seemed to be in the middle of a discussion.

It was Carla who first greeted me.

"Wendy! Oh thank goodness, you're alright!"

"Carla!" I rushed over to hug my friend. She must've been worried sick after that whole fiasco. I couldn't blame her, even though I couldn't understand what happened either.

I sensed a little irritation from Porlyusica, but ultimately she decided to let my actions pass. She quickly made her way over to where the others were, all of whom were gathered around what looked like one of Lucy's keys.

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Porlyusica asked Lucy.

"I hope that it didn't have to turn out like this, but it's the only way."

Lucy seemed depressed. Given all that had happened recently, this was only natural. With Natsu gone…

"Natsu?" I thought out loud.

All eyes turned to me at my sudden outburst. I couldn't help it. The sudden realization that my boyfriend was missing began to affect me in more ways than one. I was frustrated that I wasn't able to protect him, mad at myself for not being strong enough. Was I really unfit to be his lover?

Erza rushed over to my side.

"It's okay Wendy," she said in her most motherly voice. "We'll get him back."

"Erza-san, I'm sorry, I just…"

"There there, it's alright, no need to blame yourself." Erza wrapped her arm around my shoulder in a tight embrace. While I didn't think it was as warm as Natsu's, it was enough to remind me that I always had friends surrounding me. That aside, I was glad that Erza hadn't Requipped into any of her armours yet.

Once I got a hold of myself, I brought myself in onto the discussion. Apparently, I had been unconscious for several days. Whatever that made me go berserk during that fight with Loki still remained a mystery, but it seemed like Porlyusica knew something about it. I didn't press further on the matter.

Also, it was no doubt that Loki had taken Natsu to the Celestial Spirit World. That was enough to get me to worry beyond what I was capable of worrying about. I was well aware that the time stream flowed differently there. However, I maintained a level head throughout while Porlyusica explained how we were going to rescue Natsu.

Apparently, Lucy had the ability to sacrifice one of her keys in order to gain access to the Celestial Spirit World. However, there was a catch: that there had to be seven other living beings along with the caster. Looking around the room, excluding Porlyusica, this seemed to be the case.

And the key that was going to be the sacrifice was none other than Loki's key.

Lucy could only glance down at the key that lay on the table in front of her with a sullen expression on her face. To the side, I saw Gajeel leaning against the wall, his eyes closed, almost deep in thought.

That's right! The aura that Loki carried, it carried the scent of a dragon. And not just any dragon, it was…

"My old man."

Gajeel stood up and made his way towards me.

"This will be my battle. I'm joining you on this one. You and Salamander had your fun, and now it's my turn."

"And I will accompany you as well," Pantherlily added, arms crossed with a confident smirk. "Wherever Gajeel goes, expect me to be there as well."

"Count me in," Gray interjected. "I know Natsu and I often don't see eye to eye, but I've got to admit, seeing you lose your cool all for his sake; it kinda makes me feel jealous, you know?"

"And I too," came Erza's comment. "You all are a part of my family, no matter how many times we come into disagreement. It's for Natsu's sake and for Master's sake as well."

"And don't forget us!" Happy joined in, bringing Carla along. "Natsu's my best friend, and I couldn't bear to have anything happen to him. So with you, we'll all be happy together, right?"

"Well said, tomcat." Carla remarked.

"Then it's settled." Lucy finally exclaimed after her moment of silence. She looked towards me, and I could see the pain that she felt after going through all of this. Nevertheless, she put on a brave face, as if to reassure me that everything would be alright.

"Together, we'll do this. Together, we'll save Natsu."

"Yeah!"

"Gihi…"

"Mmhm…"

"Alright! Let's do this!"

"Everyone…" I was more than happy to see all my friends banding together to help me with my dilemma. It gave me a sense of hope; that we would be able to do anything once we all set our minds towards the same goal. That was the power of friendship, the one thing that helped to keep the Fairy Tail guild together. And it was through these moments that I realized that I was counting on everyone's strength more than ever.

"Okay then." Porlyusica made no hesitation in getting everyone set up. "Everyone place your hands on the key. Lucy, you know what to do."

"Alright."

While we all touched Loki's key, Lucy began to chant some sort of song that seemed to be of a foreign language. Even if I couldn't understand, I knew its implication; the sacrifice of the contract between spirit and master in order to do the unthinkable. Travelling to the Celestial Spirit World without assistance or approval from a spirit.

This journey was going to be a perilous one, yet it had to be done. As for whether or not the prophecy was going to reveal itself anytime soon, it'll have to wait. There was no turning back now.

"I'm coming for you, Natsu…"

**A/N: And now we are officially into the Celestial Spirit World arc. For those who think this is similar to the non-canon anime filler arc, this was not my intention.**

**A little warning that there will be character deaths in the future. Whether or not I undo them at the end, well... (If you guys think this may be a little too much, I could change the previous chapter a little).**

**Please leave a friendly review, and I'll see you next time!**


	17. The Will to Move On

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or any of its characters.**

**The Dragon Slayer Prophecy**

**Chapter 17: The Will to Move On**

"This sure doesn't look like the Celestial Spirit World….."

"Yeah, no kidding….."

We were all definitely awestruck once we set foot into the once familiar land. No longer was it a vast, majestic landscape that I had once known; it was pretty much how it was like back when Natsu and I had travelled back to Edolas.

Gray clouds filled up the usually starry sky. The colourful platforms that used to make up the land were now barren; rocky hills complete with cracks and fissures of various sizes. There were no signs of life, none that I was aware of, until I picked up on a scent that I was all too familiar with.

"Natsu!"

Immediately, my instincts told me to dash towards whatever direction the scent was coming from. However, before I could react, Erza had grabbed onto me.

"Let me go! He's right there! I need to go see him!"

"Wendy, please! Get a hold of yourself!" Erza demanded.

"That's right, ever since that sudden surprise announcement, you've been acting kind of strange." Gray added. "Not that I'm complaining too much, but mind telling us what happened between you two?"

It took several attempts to get myself under control. When I did, I let out a hefty sigh before thinking to myself; _What happened to me? Why have I been acting so weird lately?_

"Is it too bothersome for you to explain?" Carla asked.

"Quite frankly, I'm not sure how to explain it…" I looked over at Gajeel; the only other person within our group who was involved with the Prophecy, only to give me a few questioning looks. Well, I guess that was reasonable, as he still had a role to play. It was just that whatever it was had yet to be seen.

As for myself, was it safe to mention my comings and goings this past period of time? I vaguely remember Makarov telling me, Natsu and Gajeel about the potential risks with prophetic magic…

_Master Makarov…_

It was already unbearable that Natsu had disappeared, and yet, Makarov had been taken out of the equation so quickly…

As if summoned, Lucy appeared right next to me, arm on my shoulder to comfort me as dark thoughts began to cloud my mind once more. Almost instantaneously, I felt relaxed; glad to have someone around to cleanse out my negative feelings.

Time and time again, it was Lucy who had come to my aid in times of my emotional despair. I believe I have said this before, but I continued to rely on Lucy in absence of a mother figure. To think that I was jealous of her a while back, I almost laughed at the thought.

How she was able to keep my newfound power in check though…

"Guys, please don't pressure Wendy too much, don't you see how distraught she is? She clearly has a lot on her mind, and bugging her with more questions is just going to strain her even more."

"It's okay Lucy," I recomposed myself as I approached the rest of the group. "As much as I want to tell everyone about the reasoning behind recent events, Natsu, Gajeel, and I swore an oath with Master Makarov not to tell anyone about it." I paused a little. "Not until we are ready."

Gajeel seemed to agree with me. He added, "As much as it bugs me to keep this crap held with me, I gotta uphold my end of the vow. Especially after what happened to Gramps….."

We all held a short moment of silence to honor our fallen Master. Despite everything that had happened, we as members of Fairy Tail had to persevere. We had to stay strong, even if it meant going through heavy losses.

And that was why I wasn't going to lose Natsu.

"Then I believe in you." Erza placed her hand over mine in a much friendlier manner than earlier, with an earnest smile on her face. "No matter what hardships face us, we will all see this through until the end."

"Count me in."

"Me as well."

"Aye sir!"

And together we all made one last hurrah in an attempt to raise morale. It was now or never.

...

My ears were picking up on something.

"Get down!" I launched myself over my friends as a maelstrom of flying scissors came raining down from where we were standing just seconds ago. I retaliated with a Wing Attack, hearing a slight thud that confirmed that it hit.

However, when the dust cleared, the assailant made himself known, only to come out unscathed. It was none other than…

"Cancer!"

"Lucy, no!"

I pulled Lucy to the side as another set of scissor blades flew towards her. I wasn't lucky this time, as a few of them managed to graze my back.

"Bastard! Trying to take us out with a sneak attack? Ice-Make: LANCE!"

Gray's ice spell pelted its way towards the celestial spirit, only for it to be absorbed by a wall of pink wool. Aries had joined the fray, summoning wave after wave of wool, all preparing to close in on us…

"Gray! Don't hurt them! They're…"

"Lucy, do you really think they're here to talk!" Erza grunted as she slashed through some of the wool with her swords. Gajeel did the same with his Iron Dragon's Sword attack. "Even after what you saw with Loki?"

"But…"

Even I could tell these Celestial Spirits were far from being friendly. An aura that I was all too familiar with; having experienced it many times on occasion, this was definitely the work of a dragon.

And that dragon was none other than Gajeel's foster father, Metallicana.

I could tell how hesitant Lucy was on about attacking her Celestial Spirit friends, but whatever had to be done, well, just had to be done. And unfortunately, violence was the answer.

My Sky Dragon's Roar was countered by an incoming Sand Buster attack that came from Scorpio; the impact large enough to send to whole group flying in different directions. I managed to recover and get on my feet, before reflecting a strike towards my head by Capricorn. I ended locked in hand-to-hand combat against him while the other fended off the other Celestial Spirits coming in on this onslaught.

Seeing the others' resolve to fight, I saw Lucy snap out of her apologetic state and join in. Despite not having access to her Spirits given the current situation, she made appropriate use of her Fleuve D'Etoiles; manoeuvring in and out of the battlefield and keeping distance between ally and enemy.

However, even with our combined forces, something didn't seem right. It was as though the Celestial Spirits were overwhelming us just from their presences themselves.

"Catching on are you?" I heard Loki's voice while trying to repel Aquarius's Water Lock spell. "You're on our turf now, so it's clear that we have to upper hand here! Oh, and of course," Loki was behind me all of a sudden. "We can't die."

I took the full force of Loki's Regulus Impact, throwing me off guard as I landed in a jumbled heap along with everyone else. From what I could tell, everyone had already taken a solid beating, even Happy and Carla, who were definitely in no shape to fight or defend themselves.

Slowly but surely, the Celestial Spirits closed in on us, menacing glares and all, and with the intent to kill. We were outnumbered 15 to 8; 15 god-tiered immortals compared to 2 Dragon Slayers, 3 mages, and 3 Exceeds. There was no way the odds were in our favour.

Yet, what continued to bug me even before coming here was the fact that we could've survived coming into the Celestial Spirit World without having to wear the specialized Celestial Spirit clothes…..

This was a far greater threat than anything we have every faced. In our current condition, we were unable to retaliate. It was almost as though our magic reserves were being drained, flowing endlessly out of our cores and into the atmosphere.

"Well, any last words, Fairy Tail mages?"

Why does this always happen? Surely, there were countless times we have faced life or death situations in which we were able to come out on top in the end. But why did this feel so different compared to every other time?

My fears were confirmed once Erza decided to speak.

"I never thought it'd come to this…"

"Erza… what are you….?"

Planting a sword into the ground for support, Erza forced herself from the ground to a standing position. With effort, she waved her hand and conjured up a magic seal of some sort. Another wave and the seal placed itself on Erza's forehead.

I could tell that this wasn't good news. If the expressions on Gray and Lucy's faces weren't any indication, then no one would've known.

"NOT THAT SPELL!"

"ERZA!"

"On my signal! I want all of you to run like hell! Spread out and search for Natsu! This seal should be able to hold everyone off!"

"Erza, you can't!"

"TITANIA! YOU DUMBASS!"

Then in a barely audible whisper directed towards me:

"I'm sorry I couldn't keep that promise with Natsu, so live on for him in my place alright?"

_What was that about?_

"NOW!"

Everything happened in a flash. It was all such a big blur as Erza's spell began to spread like wildfire. I made a dive over a cliff as the explosion began to engulf the area. One by one the Celestial Spirits were absorbed by the light; each time emitting a pulse which further propelled my body away from the epicentre.

I lost control over my surroundings as I found myself tumbling down a rocky hill, faster than what gravity was even capable of. I winced in pain each time I collided against the ground, further degrading my confidence as I reflected on what just happened moments ago.

Erza had just sacrificed herself.

...

I managed to find a cavern to hide out if in any case the Celestial Spirits were still out searching for us. However, judging from the atmosphere in the sky, I could sense that none of them were in the vicinity, much less able to fight.

But that didn't matter at all. Whatever Erza did, it worked, and at the cost of something dear.

Erza, why?

Over the years, I developed a familial relationship with the mage known as Titania in Fairy Tail. Like Lucy, she was somewhat of a mother figure, always lending a helping hand whether or not I needed it. She was a role model of sorts; one of many in which I had looked up to as a source of inspiration for strength. Erza was an essential part of this close-knit family I have come to love.

But now she was gone.

Or was she really? I felt panicked when I could no longer sense her life force. It was just like my nightmare, in which Levy began to fade away from existence.

Just the thought of it was driving me insane. Fear, anxiety, depression, despair; a hopeless sinkhole began forming within my subconscious, driving me to the brink of eternal sorrow.

I had almost allowed it to take control of me. Then I realized that this wasn't the end yet.

I willed myself to take control. I couldn't always rely on Lucy to keep this dark power in check. Suppressing my urge to cry out, I forced myself to think happy thoughts, despite everything that had happened.

Even though our group may have been separated, I assured myself that they were alive and well. Gray and Gajeel were tough to the core, while Lucy could put up a fight if the circumstances called for it. Even Happy, Carla and Pantherlily, they all had enough willpower to carry through.

First Makarov, then Erza, and potentially Natsu. They were all important figures in my life. Though I have suffered through loss time and time again, there was still a chance. Natsu was still out there, and it was only a matter of time in which I would be able to reunite with him again.

I would not let Erza's sacrifice be in vain. After all, she once represented the driving force behind Fairy Tail's unrelenting prowess and determination.

The negative energy that was building up around me dissipated into wisps of smoke. I no longer felt the agony that circumvented my thoughts. I was in control; never to succumb to this mindless rage ever again as I had begun the attain mastery over it.

This dark power, whatever it was, had surfaced every time I felt true despair. Now that I thought of it, I had only let it control me during my fight against Zirconis, and I wasn't even aware of it.

Since coming to know of it, I began to feel to need to control it. If we dragon slayers were indeed seen as "scum" in my nightmare world, then I was to rectify it; to control those dragon impulses that continued to claw out from within.

And that was when I finally came to understand the Prophecy at a substantial level.

Taking a deep breath, I continued along the path down the cavern. Sniffing the air, I allowed the air the guide me down, further into the depths as I came to terms with a very familiar scent.

"Natsu."

I raced down the trail, eager to see my loved one, eager to find out if he was okay or not. Only to stop once I realized something was off.

A fire was lit down the end of the tunnel. It had a cozy, almost welcoming feel, begging for me to come closer. However, I knew better, as what emerged from that flame was a force to be reckoned with.

It was a humanoid figure, complete with dragon scales on his skin, with a demonic aura that emanated pure destructive force. The same figure that kept appearing in my dreams. I had to hold in a rather audible gasp once I realized who it was.

"Natsu…"

My boyfriend let out a ferocious roar before charging in on me. I quickly sidestepped and made some distance between us with my air magic.

"Natsu! It's me Wendy! We've come to rescue you!"

I knew it was useless, but I had to try something, right? Natsu ignored my plea as he launched himself towards me again, this time with his body set ablaze.

I tried repelling him with my Sky Dragon's Talons, but he managed to grab my leg and proceeded to throw me across to the other side. I flipped around, planted my feet against the opposite wall before launching myself at Natsu with my version of the Sky Dragon's Sword Horn, effectively colliding against him as I pinned him to the ground.

"Natsu, please, get a hold of yourself! Don't you remember who I am?"

Natsu let out a Fire Dragon's Roar just as I was able to dodge the torrent of flame that came out of his mouth. I watched in horror as something began to take form.

Natsu was growing a pair of dragon wings on his back.

He took off into the air before coming down with a Talon attack, forcing me to roll to the side. He came down at me with another attack at an alarming rate, this time with me barely dodging it.

There he was, Natsu Dragneel, standing before me as my enemy. Words couldn't describe how distraught I was at this sudden turn of events. However, like I said before, I wasn't going to let negative emotions get the better of me. I had to make use of this newfound strength, but how?

My love for him was too strong that I could not find myself in a position to hurt him. But in order to save him, I had to master my craft. It was what I was destined to do. It was the only way.

My mind went blank, focused on the element of nothingness. I began to transform, into the new being with a surge in indescribable power. Donning a white gown and a winged headpiece, I also carried a shield of some sort along with a lance brimming with Sky Magic.

I had become the Sky Dragon Sorceress.

**A/N: So, another chapter done, after about like what, five months? And I always thought that procrastination only applied to school projects...**

**Now that's settled, I would like to draw attention to something that I would like to do for the NaWen fandom. Just head over to my profile to find a link to the NaWen discussion forum and see for yourselves.**

**As usual, please leave your reviews, and I'll see you next time!**


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